Above the Stage
by WritingIsLovely
Summary: New transfer Blaine Anderson has a bad reputation that has all the students at McKinley except the Skanks avoiding him, so why does Kurt find himself looking at him so often? And when Blaine takes a liking to Kurt, how can he convince the straight-laced boy he's more of a gentleman than he seems? (badboy!Blaine with a heart of gold)
1. Chapter 1

The first time Kurt saw Blaine Anderson, he knew to look away immediately. He had learned, over the course of middle school and three years of high school, that most guys didn't take too kindly to him looking at them for too long, and a single glance at the new transfer student told Kurt that this wasn't the guy to test that theory on.

He was in the courtyard with Rachel and Mercedes when he saw him that first time, striding down the steps in big black combat boots, and then taking a moment to slide down the rail with ease, wind ruffling careless dark curls, arms spread wide for balance, showing off his leather jacket. The people lower on the school food chain seemed to know immediately to duck out of his way as he slid.

That was all Kurt allowed himself before he glanced away from this clearly dangerous individual, but Rachel and Mercedes continued to gawk. Rachel described, wide-eyed and not without a little desire in her voice, as Blaine Anderson lit up a cigarette, everyone giving him a wide berth except Quinn, who had undergone some sort of mental break down over the summer and now dyed her hair pink out of the bottle. Rachel immediately wondered if Quinn and Blaine were an item, and Kurt couldn't help but snort at the jealous tone her voice took. Mercedes, unlike Rachel, was none too impressed with the bad boy image, and informed them immediately that Blaine was gay, and that he had transferred from a reform school. Mercedes always had the best gossip.

The second time Kurt saw Blaine was when the bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period. He looked over his shoulder as he left the courtyard, wanting to make sure he wasn't late for class. Blaine was loitering, naturally. He had a zippo lighter, and he scowled down at it, his thick, dark eyebrows drawn together angrily. His thumb, nail painted black, flicked the lighter open and closed in a steady rhythm.

Kurt just sighed and shouldered his satchel, mentally adding Blaine Anderson to the list of people he would try to avoid on a daily basis.

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The first time Blaine saw Kurt Hummel actually occurred before Kurt saw him. It was that same, day, early in the morning. Blaine's first day at his new school. People were already avoiding him like the plague, which was fine by him. He was sure the rumors about Dalton Reform School had already spread. It didn't matter; people could believe the worst about him for all he cared, because he knew the truth, and knew he never should have been in that dump in the first place.

When he first saw Kurt, he was walking with a pretty girl in some go-go girl outfit. They chatted animatedly as they arrived at a locker, and Blaine actually paused at his own to get a better look at the guy down the hall.

Since he didn't know his name, he dubbed him Tight Pants in his head for the time being, in honor of the painted on dark red pants he was currently sporting. Blaine smirked and bit his lip, letting himself enjoy the view he had a the moment: the material lovingly hugging long, lean legs and curving nicely over a firm ass just begging for Blaine to cop a feel.

Be good, Blaine told himself sternly. Something told him Tight Pants, who was currently bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly, wouldn't appreciate the gesture.

Tight Pants turned around and leaned back against the locker, smiling and listening to his friend. His face was, no other way to describe it, beautiful. There was a sweetness, an angelic quality to his expression that made Blaine doubt Tight Pants knew what the leather harness he was wearing was actually for and then feel kind of bad for perving on him so much.

Blaine had checked out more than a few guys in his time, and this time was really no different, except that in a few seconds' time, Tight Pants' friend had left him alone at his locker, and a big guy in a letterman's jacket walked past him.

Blaine's eyes narrowed at how Tight Pants flinched, eyes closing as if braced for a blow. The jock didn't pay any attention to him, but Blaine was all too familiar with that rapid loss of color, that look of panic.

Something seemed to deflate in Tight Pants, and he closed his locker with a visible sigh, his eyes dropping to the floor.

Blaine was struck by how violently he never wanted to see that expression on his face again.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine quickly found his reputation preceded him. No one seemed to want to approach him, except one girl: Quinn Fabray. All pink hair and piercings, a low, raspy voice and a bitter sneer on her face, Blaine liked her immediately. Since their first ever conversation consisted of an exchange of names, Blaine enquiring after Tight Pants (Kurt Hummel, he now knew) and Quinn glaring at him and telling him to leave Kurt alone, he liked her even more.

"He has enough crap to deal with," Quinn said as Blaine lit a cigarette for her and they watched Kurt with his two friends across the courtyard, "being the only out kid in the school and too noble to ever get revenge on the assholes around here. So don't bug him."

Of course, this just made the protective feelings he had over Kurt grow. He spent his first week at McKinley as he usually did, skipping useless classes, smoking with Quinn under the bleachers, and of course, dealing with the inevitable challenge of some asshole who felt his position of "school's top dog" was being threatened by Blaine's presence. McKinley's resident top dog asshole was called Rick the Stick, and two shots to the solar plexus and an elbow to the face took care of him easily enough. McKinley's disciplinary measures turned out to be so lax and the teachers so negligent that Blaine didn't even face detention for the bruised and bloody Rick. While that was convenient for him, he did notice that Kurt had witnessed the fight with wide eyes that met his own for a moment. Blaine didn't like the fear he saw there one bit, and it reminded him that those same careless teachers were failing to protect Kurt from assholes like Rick the Stick.

As for Kurt himself, Blaine was happy to find out that they shared a few classes, and he made sure to attend those. He sat in the back, Kurt sat in the front, usually accompanied by one of his three friends that were always around: a curvy black girl, a small loud mouth with long brown hair, and the Asian girl who looked like she had stepped out of the sixties. Blaine doodled absently, Kurt took diligent notes and participated in class discussion. When the teacher stepped out, Kurt and his friends would gather together to chat, while everyone else gave Blaine a wide berth.

Kurt was intelligent, thoughtful, respectful. He helped his friends and other people in the class if they asked, he was always on time, and never caused problems in the classroom. The only Kurt-related disturbance Blaine could think of was when the dumbass sitting in front of him was throwing spitballs at him, and Blaine wasted no time in lifting his leg up and placing the heel of his combat boot against the guy's neck. The spitballs stopped.

Blaine was used to finding guys attractive and, if he felt like it, acting on his attraction. But Kurt was different. He was gorgeous, smart, kind, polite. Those were the sort of qualities that would have Blaine taking his time to get to know him anyway, but what was really slowing him down was that Kurt had obviously heard about Blaine's reputation and, along with his friends, made sure to give Blaine plenty of wary space. Blaine didn't like that Kurt was afraid of him, but it wasn't like going up to him and demanding he change his mind was an option. Besides, Blaine knew Kurt deserved more gentleness than that, and Blaine wanted to give him that, especially with how other people in this school treated him.

He knew he was nursing a crush, but he didn't find it embarrassing. Kurt was his opposite in a lot of ways, at least on the surface, but Blaine knew that having a crush on him was more than understandable. For all his teacher's pet qualities, he was also a daring dresser and unapologetic about it. He wore a corset to third period one day and Blaine nearly choked at the sight of his slim waist.

Blaine wasn't the most patient person, though. He wanted Kurt, he at least wanted to be able to get to know him better, and they currently had never spoken. He wanted to move things along; he just needed an in.

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Unfortunately, Blaine didn't know that Rachel Berry was the closest thing he had to an in for the time being.

"So what do you think of him?" She asked Kurt, nudging his shoulder.

Kurt looked up from his magazine. "Who?"

"Blaine!" She hissed, and Kurt looked across the cafeteria. Blaine was sitting by himself, feet propped up on the table, earphones stuck in his ears as he slowly ate his lunch.

"Well, I try not to prejudge anyone," Kurt said slowly, "since I've been on the receiving end of that far too often. But I won't lie; he does set me on edge."

Rachel hummed around a spoonful of yogurt. "I think he's kind of...sexy."

Mercedes snorted. "Of course you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

The two of them began to bicker and Kurt looked at Blaine again, considering. Blaine had been at their school for a week now, and there was an unspoken rule among students to avoid him at all costs, especially angering him. Kurt remembered how easily and calmly Blaine had left Rick the Stick curled up on the floor, screaming in pain. Their eyes had met briefly and Kurt had looked away quickly, his heart pounding.

Blaine was certainly good looking - really good looking, actually. But Kurt couldn't focus on that when Blaine was, simply put, dangerous.

He certainly never wanted to be caught alone with the guy.

"I'm just saying," Rachel's voice filtered through his thoughts, "he's gay, Kurt's gay..."

"He's so not Kurt's type," Mercedes argued, "right Kurt?"

Blaine suddenly looked up with a flash of gold and Kurt started, eyes widening before he looked away. heat rushing to his cheeks.

"I'm just trying to get through senior year and out of this town with all limbs intact," Kurt told them, "I don't think attempting contact with Blaine Anderson is in the best interest of those goals."

Mercedes nodded, casting a suspicious glance over in Blaine's direction, but Rachel's lower lip jutted out.

"I'm just saying that you're lonely. Maybe he's not all that bad!"

"Then why don't you go talk to him?" Kurt suggested with a teasing smile. "I know you're unironically turned on by bad boys, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Rachel bit her lip and lowered her eyes. "Well, he is kind of scary."

"That's that, then," he told her gently. "Now, I think this dress would look great on you," he said, gesturing to his magazine and turning the conversation away from the intimidating transfer student.

Because he was lonely, but not so desperate to pursue the trouble and danger that Blaine exuded.


	3. Chapter 3

By the end of his first two weeks at McKinley, Blaine had a handful of encounters with Kurt he could replay over and over in his mind with relish.

The first was when their history teacher decided it was a good idea to give the class a seating plan. Blaine would've stayed in his chosen seat as a silent "fuck you" to the controlling old man, but as luck would have it, the seating plan had him sitting directly behind Kurt. Their fingers brushed when Kurt passed a worksheet over his shoulder to him. Blaine ignored how Kurt tensed up at the contact and how his shoulders stayed up by his ears for the rest of the class.

The second time was after school. Blaine had hung around with Quinn and one of her friends who had decided to try sticking around under the bleachers when he showed up instead of nervously leaving as they usually did. He had to go back to his locker for his jacket, and as he was rounding the corner, Kurt ran into him, almost dropping the books he was carrying.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, and then he looked up. A look of alarm flashed across his face and he took a couple steps back. Blaine stared at him stupidly, trying to process that the object of his growing affection had actually spoken to him, actually touched him, even if it had all been by accident.

"Don't - " Blaine managed to get out and Kurt nodded quickly, backing up more.

"I won't again, I promise. Sorry."

With that, Kurt turned around and hurried away the way he had come.

"Shit," Blaine said.

Okay, so the rest weren't so much encounters as moments of Blaine silently appreciating Kurt. Like the time he wore a pair of bondage shorts to school and Blaine spent most of fifth period memorizing every inch of exposed skin on his legs. Or the time Kurt politely corrected one of their teachers while she berated a ditzy cheerleader for giving the incorrect answer. Or when he saw him march his crying friend straight into the girls' bathroom to comfort her and shield her from public humiliation.

Blaine was well aware this had passed from attraction and a crush to something more, and as the depth of his admiration grew, he was sort of at a loss. Ususaly if he was really into someone, he made a move and they hooked up. But he didn't want to do that with Kurt. He wasn't sure what he wanted, exactly.

But after the fourth day in a row of Kurt hurrying to get out of class before Blaine could talk to him, he realized he'd have to take a more active approach to finding out what he did want.

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Kurt was looking at the wrong end of a slushy the first time he considered Blaine Anderson as a person beyond the whole "stay away from the danger" thing. Rick the Stick was grinning and heading towards him and he stopped in his tracks, wincing at the thought of his beautiful new cashmere sweater on its first ever outing, like a sacrificial lamb to the corn syrup gods.

But then Blaine Anderson walked up and neatly plucked the offending slushy from Rick's hands, much to both Kurt and Rick's surprise. At first, Kurt thought Blaine wanted to do the honors, but he just smiled at them both and took a sip.

"Ricky, buddy, you got me a drink? How thoughtful."

"But that was - " Rick cut himself off, looking cowed. He still had some discoloration on his face from his fight with Blaine. He gave Kurt a glare but couldn't meet Blaine's eyes as he walked away.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt, eyebrows raised as he took another drink. "Want some?" He held the cup out to Kurt, who flinched on instinct.

"N-no, thank you," he said, unsure of what had just happened or what Blaine was playing at. Blaine frowned at his response and Kurt left as quickly as he could. Blood wouldn't suit his sweater any more than red dye #5, and for all of Rick's horribleness, he wasn't nearly as unnerving as Blaine.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

But he thought about it later. Did Blaine even know he had saved Kurt from a slushy facial? Had he done that on purpose? And if so, why?

Tina had a suggestion, when he told her, Mercedes, and Rachel about it the next day.

"He wants your body," she informed him.

Rachel gasped as thought scandalized. Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"What? No, that can't be it," Kurt said, blushing. "There's no way someone like that would be interested in someone like me."

"Kurt's right," Mercedes said, "not that you're not a total catch, boo. It's just that someone as rough as Blaine probably thinks we're all losers to grind underneath his heel."

"I'm not saying he wants to marry you or take you on a moonlit carriage ride," Tina said, her eyes shining wickedly, "I'm saying he wants to tear your clothes off and bang you."

"Where are you even getting this?" Kurt asked incredulously.

"Well, we all know that, as sweet as she is, Tina is definitely the dirtiest of all of us," Rachel said with a disapproving look.

"Santana thinks so, too," Tina said casually.

"Santana?! You and Santana talked about this?" Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Uh huh. She said, and I quote: 'Anderson is a dude who wants to get his fuck on. And Hummel is the person in closest proximity with the right body parts who would need the least convincing.' Personally, I think Mike's always been a littl bicurious and would need less convincing for casual sex than you, but luckily he's devoted to me. So she has a point."

"I couldn't be convinced," Kurt spluttered, "I could never...never just do that. With someone I don't know. With-with someone who honestly would probably rather punch me than kiss me."

The truth was, he imagined his first time as something in the far off future, once he was out of Lima. It wasn't something he thought about a lot anyway. Everything with Karofsky last year had made him more than a little wary about the whole sex thing.

"Let's just hope Blaine would care whether or not you wanted to," Mercedes said darkly.

"Mercedes!" Rachel stared at her in shock. "What a horrible thing to say! I know we're all protective of Kurt, but there's no reason to suspect..."

The two of them began to squabble again, Mercedes calling Rachel naive and Rachel claiming Mercedes was over-protective in a desperate attempt to prove she was a better friend than Rachel. Kurt turned to look at Blaine, gasping quietly when he saw the subject of their discussion staring at him openly. He turned back to Tina with wide eyes and she shrugged and winked salaciously.

Kurt didn't know which scenario scared him more: Blaine wanting to beat him up or Blaine wanting to get him naked.


	4. Chapter 4

Warning to readers for violence, threat of rape, and homophobic language in this part.

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"Hey Homo - I mean, Hummel."

Kurt cringed at the voice behind him and quickly shut his locker, so no one could take anything out of it or hurt him with the door and turned around.

Two jocks stood there, way too close for comfort. He could tell they were on the hockey team because of their horrible hair and the 12 and 8 on their jerseys. He tried to step around them but they blocked him, grinning nastily and crossing their arms over their chests.

Kurt eyed them nervously. "What do you want?"

"I noticed you were in the locker room the same time as me yesterday," 12 said, glaring down at him.

"We have P.E. at the same time," Kurt said. He looked beyond them for some source of help, but no one was there. This is what he got for staying late at the library to work on his portfolio for college applications.

8 shoved his shoulder and Kurt winced as his head hit the locker. "Hey! We're talking to you, fag!"

"You didn't think we'd just let you prance around McKinley this year after what you did to Karofsky last year, did you?"

"I didn't do anything to him," Kurt said quietly, curling in on himself, his heart pounding in reaction to the current situation but also a flood of unwanted memories.

"You infected him," 12 continued, "turned him gay. He's probably running around in a dress by now at his new school. It's disgusting."

"You can't turn peop - " Kurt ducked the fist that swung at his face and darted under 8's arm, running down the hall. He heard a curse and then their footsteps behind him, and then one of them reached out and grabbed the back of his jacket, jerking him back. He yelped in pain as his ankle twisted badly and he fell to the ground, striking his elbow against the hard tile. Tears sprang to his eyes.

The jocks hauled him to his feet and dragged him into the nearest classroom. Kurt gasped in pain every time he had to step on his bad ankle. They shoved him against the counter.

"When are you gonna get the message that you're not welcome at our school?" 8 growled, swinging his fist as 12 held Kurt still and hitting Kurt's cheek. His class ring split the skin and Kurt cried out.

"Shut up!" 12 said, slapping him and then shoving him hard against the counter. Kurt's knees crumpled and he fell to the ground.

"Get up, pussy," Hands gripped the lapels of his jacket and started to pull him up.

"Well, aren't you two having a fun little party?" A voice drawled to their right. 12 let go of Kurt and straightened up, and all three of them turned to look at who was speaking.

Blaine Anderson was standing in the doorway, and he wasn't even looking at them. He was looking down at a switchblade he was casually swinging between two fingers. Kurt felt a fresh spike of fear run through him at the glint of the blade.

"Anderson," 12 said, his tone jovial now, if a little wary, "we were just..."

8's chin tilted up. "Someone's gotta teach Hummel a lesson. Rough him up a little. You want in?"

Kurt closed his eyes. He knew he was in for a beating from the two jocks, tears were already running down his cheeks, and his face was already aching, not to mention his elbow and ankle. But things had just become so much worse.

There was a tense moment of silence. Kurt opened his eyes just as Blaine started to walk towards them, his big black boots clunking on the floor. Kurt stared at them as they advanced, shaking.

"Wait, you're like...into dudes or whatever, right?" 12 said, sounding even more nervous for some reason.

"We're not homophobic or whatever," 8 said, and if Kurt wasn't so terrified, he would have glared at him, "this little bitch is such a girly freak though."

"You wanna fuck him?" 12 asked. "We could stand outside the door, make sure nobody comes inside."

Kurt's head jerked back at this, and his eyes met Blaine's dark, frightening gaze. He was looking down at Kurt rather than the jocks. The knife no longer dangled casually between his fingers; he was holding it in a firm grip.

It couldn't have been more than two seconds, but the moment felt like an eternity to Kurt. Finally, Blaine looked away, back at the jocks.

"Get out."

"We-"

"Get the fuck out of here," Blaine said, his eyebrows raising as if incredulous that he had to repeat himself.

The jocks left as quickly as they could. 8 bumped into a desk on his way out, shutting the door behind him with a loud bang.

Blaine looked back down at Kurt, and Kurt wasted no time trying to push himself back up to standing, using the the counter for support and trying to keep his weight off his ankle.

Suddenly, Blaine's hands shot out and gripped Kurt's sides, pulling him up. Kurt flinched violently, the memory of the glint of the knife clear in his mind's eye.

But the knife was gone; Blaine must have pocketed it. Kurt swallowed down a sob, crossing his arms in front of him defensively. Was Blaine really going to...?

"Hey," a voice said, so soft that it took Kurt a second to realize it belonged to Blaine, "you're okay...well, you will be."

Kurt looked up in surprise. The hard, dark look was gone. His expression was as soft as his voice, making him look younger. "W-what?"

"Did I scare you?" Blaine looked down (Kurt stared for a second at the fan of long, thick lashes against his cheek), removing his hands from Kurt's body. Kurt stumbled a little; he hadn't realized how much Blaine had been helping him keep weight off his bad ankle. Blaine reached out to steady him again. "I didn't mean to. I won't hurt you." Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes carefully. Kurt's head spun, unable to process this turn of events.

"Y-you..." Kurt felt faint. His adrenaline was wearing off and his head was throbbing. Maybe he hit his head against the locker harder than he thought.

"My name is Blaine," his rescuer said, as if Kurt didn't know.

"I..." Kurt opened his eyes. "Kurt," he said, cheeks flushing when Blaine nodded, making it obvious that he already knew Kurt's name too.

"Here, lean on me," Blaine said, sliding a strong arm around Kurt's waist. Kurt trembled a little at the contact.

"You're helping me," he said, dazed.

"Not exactly the circumstances I wanted our first real conversation to happen in, but can't help that now," Blaine said, adopting a lighter tone to his voice. Kurt took a step, hobbling a little as he tried to avoid pain in his ankle. "I should take you to the hospital."

"No," Kurt whispered, "no hospital. My dad...I don't want him to know."

"Hang on," Blaine said, stopping. He turned and lifted Kurt up, setting him on the counter. His eyes traced over Kurt's face.

"What is it?" Kurt said nervously. He jerked back when Blaine raised his hand. "S-sorry," he said, lowering his eyes and blushing again, "I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay," Blaine said. He reached beside Kurt and pulled a couple tissues out of the box sitting on the counter. "Just thought you might want to mop up the mess that is your face right now."

Kurt blinked, raising his fingertips to his cheek, and blushed when they found the wetness of his tears.

"Not that it's not a good face," Blaine continued. He lifted up the tissue when Kurt didn't move to take it, dabbing under the cut on his cheek. Kurt let out a shaky breath. "A little shell-shocked, are you?"

He dabbed at the cut, his touch so gentle. Kurt felt himself blushing, especially when Blaine paused and they both seemed to realize that Blaine was cupping Kurt's other cheek, wiping away his tears with his thumb.

Blaine dropped his hand and turned around, standing in between Kurt's legs with his back to him. "Hop on," he said, "it'll go faster if I just piggy-back you."

Kurt eyed the broad back and shoulders in front of him and tentatively gripped them, sliding forward. He was sure his face was beet red when Blaine's hands curved around his thighs to help Kurt wrap his legs around his waist. Kurt could feel the muscles under his hands working as Blaine held him up and started to walk.

He held on tight, needing Blaine as an anchor as he tried to understand everything that had just happened without passing out from shock.


	5. Chapter 5

Blaine gripped the wheel of his DeSoto, glancing over the road before he looked at Kurt, whose eyes had slid shut in the passenger seat. He wished he could leave him there, looking so peaceful and beautiful, so he didn't have to deal with the evening's events for a little while. But Kurt said he had hit his head, and better safe than sorry. At least, that was quick becoming Blaine's motto when it came to Kurt. He sighed and leaned over, patting Kurt's cheek a few times until his eye's fluttered open.

"You gotta stay awake for now," Blaine told him.

Kurt looked at him from underneath his eye lashes hesitantly and nodded his head, slowly sitting up from his slumped position. He didn't seem to be doing too bad, to Blaine's relief.

"You have to take a right at the second set of lights," Kurt murmured, watching him still from beneath his lashes. They had left Kurt's car in the school parking lot since he wouldn't be able to drive with his ankle injured. Blaine was still trying to figure out how all of this had happened, how he had gone from falling asleep on the tattered couch Quinn and her Skanks had dragged under the bleachers and waking up by himself to having Kurt Hummel sitting in his car. All he could really concentrate on right now was taking care of Kurt and silently plotting how he was going to put those jocks through a world of pain after that.

They arrived at Kurt's house and Blaine jumped out, running around the back to help Kurt out. He slid his arm around him to help him walk to the door, and tried not to focus on how good that slim waist felt in his hold. Kurt's fingers fumbled with his keys, so Blaine took them from him and let them inside.

"Just rest here; I'm going to grab a few things," Blaine told him as he eased him down onto the couch. He found the kitchen, took an ice pack out of the freezer, and then looked through a couple drawers until he found a small first aid kit and a dish towel. Kurt's eyes were still open when he returned, which was good. He looked up when Blaine came back in the room and Blaine let out a quiet breath at the sight of those bright blue eyes. They were sweet and vulnerable and they made Blaine feel oddly guilty, like he should just leave Kurt alone, because it was wrong to be around him, like Blaine's presence would corrupt someone so good.

He was starting to believe the rumors about himself a little too much.

He shook his head a little and walked towards Kurt. Even if everyone else thought he would do nothing but hurt someone like Kurt, he knew it wasn't true. The intensity of his feelings continued to overwhelm him, but he would never want to hurt Kurt or use him for his own selfish reasons.

"There's no one here," he commented. The house was dark except for the lights in the living room, and silent. He sat down beside Kurt on the couch.

"My dad and step-mom are out of town for their anniversary," Kurt said faintly, "I...I don't know where Finn is."

Kurt was looking at him nervously, so Blaine offered him a smile. "Can I see your ankle?"

Once he had Kurt's foot in his lap, he pulled off his boot and sock and slid his pant leg up, exposing his bare ankle. It was a little swollen. Blaine felt it gently, pausing when Kurt sucked in a breath.

"Did that hurt?"

Kurt looked away, his cheeks pink. "No."

"You twisted it pretty bad, but it should be okay if you ice it and try to stay off of it for a couple days."

Kurt smiled faintly. "I guess it's good that it's the weekend."

Blaine took the ice pack and wrapped the towel around it, slowly applying it to Kurt's ankle. He got up and propped a cushion under Kurt's foot, moving to sit on the coffee table.

"Thank you." Blaine looked up at the sound of Kurt's quiet words. "For this...and for what you did."

Blaine chewed on the inside of his cheek, not sure how to respond. He opened the first aid kit, pulling out bandages and disinfectant. He knew a thing or two about treating minor cuts and bruises.

"I know you've probably heard things about me, and I'm sure some of them are true," he said to Kurt, lifting an antiseptic wipe and waiting for Kurt's small nod before brushing it over the cut on his cheek lightly. "But I promise I'm not a complete asshole." Kurt hissed a little at the sting of his cut and without thinking, Blaine leaned forward a little and pursed his lips, blowing gently over the cut.

Their eyes met in the dim light. Kurt was so close. Blaine could hear him breathing, short, shallow breaths.

He leaned back. He wouldn't kiss him - not like this.

He finished cleaning the cut and put a bandage over it, silently making plans to pay back those douche hockey players in kind. "I should take a look at your head; does it hurt a lot?"

"I think it's getting better," Kurt said, but he twisted around a little so Blaine could see the back of his head. He ran his fingers over Kurt's scalp, through his thick, silky hair. Kurt shivered a little at the touch.

"There's no bump so far," Blaine said quietly, withdrawing and letting Kurt turn around again. "Do you have anyone you can call to come stay with you?"

Kurt shook his head. "I don't want anyone to worry, or for this to get back to my dad; my friends could never keep this to themselves. It's fine. I'll be fine on my own." He shifted a little on the couch, bringing his eyes to meet Blaine's and offering him a small smile.

"I'll stay with you then," Blaine said, shrugging out of his jacket.

"Oh." Kurt colored. "You-you don't have to do that - "

"Where's your room?" Blaine asked. At Kurt's wide-eyed stare, he grinned. "Don't worry. I'm not planning on sleeping with you. I can be a gentleman if I try."

"It's upstairs, um..." Kurt looked down at his foot.

They decided Blaine would piggy back Kurt up the stairs, and Kurt applied the ice pack to his elbow as they went. Blaine couldn't feel too guilty about the chance to see Kurt's space; he liked the clean, elegant styling of the room, but the personal touches especially: pictures of his family and friends, a small collection of awards and a neatly stacked pile of sketchbooks.

Kurt sat on his bed, holding the ice pack against his elbow gingerly and watching Blaine carefully.

Blaine scratched the back of his neck. "What is it?"

Kurt flushed, his neck and cheeks turning a pretty pink. "I've just...never had a boy in my room before." His eyes widened at his own words, like he couldn't believe he said them out loud.

Blaine would have grinned and said something suggestive to tease him, but Kurt looked a little too nervous, a little too fragile. "I like it," he said, and settled into a plush circular chair. He really was on his best behavior, but he didn't feel embarrassed. He knew it was only right to treat Kurt gently, especially after the evening he'd just had.

Kurt's eyelids were drooping even though it wasn't late. Blaine grabbed him a set of blue silk pajamas, turning his back so he could change. He turned around again at Kurt's soft "I'm done" and couldn't help but smile. The sight of Kurt with messy hair and flushed cheeks, dressed in fancy pjs, was just too appealing. He could definitely see himself waking up with that in his arms.

But he returned to his chair, telling himself not to get carried away.

"I'll stay and make sure you're okay," Blaine told Kurt as he watched him get under the covers, "I'll probably be gone before you wake up tomorrow."

Kurt watched him carefully, his blue eyes searching.

"Unless you want to go to the hospital or phone someone after all," Blaine added.

"No...no, this is fine." Kurt eased down against the pillows and Blaine flicked off the main light, turning on a small lamp so he could keep an eye on Kurt.

Kurt's eyes slid shut and after a moment, Blaine thought he had fallen asleep, but then a small whisper found his ears.

"Thank you, Blaine."


	6. Chapter 6

Kurt woke up the next morning alone. There was a glass of water and two Advils on his night table, which he quickly swallowed down, thankful that Blaine had placed them there, because his head was throbbing and his body ached.

Blaine. Kurt could hardly believe the events of the past 12 hours had actually happened and it wasn't all some sort of crazy dream. When Blaine appeared in the doorway of that classroom, Kurt thought for sure he would help the jocks beat him up - or worse. But instead, he had...well, saved him. And taken care of him. Kurt felt guilty and bewildered; he still couldn't imagine how Blaine Anderson, with his worn leather jacket and black finger nails and switchblade and terrible rumors, could be the same guy who carried Kurt out of the school to spare his ankle and nursed his injuries and basically tucked him into bed and watched over him as he fell asleep. And he felt bad that he had assumed the worst of him, even though Blaine didn't seem angry about it.

Finn came home around noon, sheepishly informing Kurt he had spent the night at Rachel's, and they both agreed to keep each other's secrets (Kurt told Finn he had twisted his ankle in the parking lot and fallen, resulting in his cut and swollen cheek and bruised elbow, but he didn't think Finn believed him).

He was willing to believe Blaine's actions were purely motivated by human kindness, and while he was sure that had a lot to do with it, he couldn't help but think of the way Blaine's thumb had stroked over his skin, wiping away his tears, the way Blaine and blown air on his cut to soothe the sting and then lingered there, looking into his eyes. He was no expert, but those moments had seemed to be about more than just helping. Over the course of the weekend, whenever he thought of them, or how thick the air had felt when he was alone in his room with Blaine, or the way Blaine's hands had felt cradling his injured ankle, he couldn't help but shiver, his cheeks heating at the memories.

He really didn't know how he would face his savior at school.

Still, he couldn't very well ignore what happened, and he did have to admit to himself that he wanted to talk to Blaine again. Which was why during Monday's lunch break, he found himself on his own, limping a little and nervously clutching a pale blue cookie tin as he made his way to the bleachers the Skanks often hung out under.

He worried his lip as he approached. Blaine was there, sprawled out on the couch, but so was Quinn, as well as two other girls. Blaine saw him first and sat up.

"Kurt," he said, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

It was a very nice smile, gorgeous even, and Kurt might have returned it if he hadn't felt so highly uncomfortable.

"Blaine," he said, his voice coming out breathier than he meant it to. He looked at Quinn. "Hello, Quinn. And...Skanks." His cheeks grew hot when one of them snickered.

Blaine stared at him for a second and then looked down at his ankle. "Have a seat," he said, getting up. The two girls Kurt didn't know looked annoyed at this but didn't say anything.

"No, that's alright, thank you," Kurt said, eyeing the ratty old couch warily. "I just...I just came to give you these," he said in a rush, thrusting the cookie tin towards Blaine.

"Aww, did Little Miss Hummel bake cookies?" One of the Skanks sneered, and Kurt looked down, blushing. He took a step back.

"Shut the fuck up, Ronnie," Blaine said, not bothering to look away from Kurt.

"Yeah," Quinn chimed in, "I want cookies. Kurt's a good cook."

Kurt was mortified. He had included a thank you letter inside the tin that he didn't really want anyone but Blaine to see. "Oh," he said stupidly, taking another step back without realizing it, "well..."

The other Skank - not Ronnie - cooed. "Hummel, do you have a crush on Blaine or something? Want us to clear out so you can suck his cock?"

Kurt almost dropped the tin in embarrassment and shock, but Blaine's hands were suddenly under his, helping to catch it.

"Kurt-"

He was sure his whole face was bright red, and he shoved the tin at Blaine. "I-I'm just going to go," he said, and turned and limped away. He heard Quinn calling for him to come back, but he'd had enough humiliation for one day. He clutched his shaking hands together and squeezed his eyes shut as he walked, refusing to cry. He was 18 now, for goodness's sake; one crude comment shouldn't be enough to set him off like that. But he'd heard so many comments like that before, accusing him of wanting to have sex with any guy at McKinley that he could convince. This time seemed worse for some reason, with Blaine right there to hear it.

He was halfway back to the school when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Kurt, wait." It was Blaine. He walked ahead of Kurt and turned around to face him. "I'm sorry about Ronnie and Sheila back there. I told them to keep their mouths shut."

"It's fine," Kurt said, looking anywhere but Blaine, "I shouldn't have gone there; it's Skank territory. They don't take kindly to other people invading their space, especially people like me."

"You can go wherever you want," Blaine said, and Kurt finally met his eyes. Blaine was still holding the cookie tin.

"There's...um, I wrote you a letter. It's in the tin." Kurt couldn't seem to stop blushing. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it seemed very childish.

Blaine gave no indication that he thought so. He grinned at Kurt, his thick eyebrows raising in surprise. "Did you? I'll read it later, when I'm on my own."

"I just wanted to thank you," Kurt said, "for...you know, everything you did."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Blaine said, "and thanks for the cookies. I'm sure they'll be gone quick."

"Okay," Kurt smiled, feeling a little more calm, "I'll let you get back to your...friends, then."

He made to go, but Blaine stepped in front of him. "Wait." Blaine caught his arm, his warm, rough hand firm but gentle. "Do you want to get together after school today? We could hang out."

Kurt stared at him. "Why would you..." He thought back to what that Skank, Sheila, had said, and his eyes widened. "I-I'm not...I'm really grateful for what you did, but I won't...I'm not going to-to..." He blushed heavily at the way Blaine cocked his head and stared at him. "...do things for you."

To his surprise, Blaine laughed. "Do things? Like, sexual favors?" He laughed again, but sobered at the expression on Kurt's face. "Hey, Kurt, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not expecting you to sleep with me, or do anything with me for that matter, because I helped you when you needed help." He stepped a little closer and Kurt's heartbeat picked up. "I just figured, since you know me a little now, maybe you'd be open to getting to know me more. But I don't want you to agree if you feel obligated," he added quickly, "I promise, I'm not as bad as you think."

Kurt considered him for a moment. When he thought about it, he really had no reason to suspect the worst of Blaine, other than some rumors that may or may not be true. Blaine had helped him when a lot of other people would have turned a blind eye or joined in, and he had been nothing but kind to him since. His physical appearance suggested danger and trouble, from the messy dark curls to the leather and ripped jeans and big black boots, not to mention the hard glint that came into his eyes sometimes...and that knife...but at the same time, his eyes could be warm and gentle, his smile genuine and lovely, and it was becoming more and more obvious to Kurt that Blaine was quite attractive, both physically and in personality. He was bold and he swore like a sailor, but he had never insulted Kurt or pushed his boundaries.

"Okay," Kurt said quietly, his heart racing at his own daring. Rachel and Mercedes would be appalled.

"Okay?" Blaine looked up with a surprised smile.

"Yes, I would like to spend time with you after school today."

There was no ignoring how his heart jumped in his chest when Blaine grinned and quickly squeezed his hand.


	7. Chapter 7

Blaine couldn't remember the last time he had felt so...giddy. He felt like a schoolboy getting ready for his first ever date.

Not that he wanted to recall that particular experience.

He blew off his afternoon classes so he'd have time before he had to meet Kurt to track down the assholes who had attacked Kurt the week before. He found 12 smoking a joint behind the gym and walked right up to him, knocking his head against the brick wall.

"Ow! What the fuck?" The guy said, stumbling a little. Blaine grabbed his shirt front and slammed him against the wall again, making him stay put. 12's eyes widened when he saw who had grabbed him. "Anderson! What - what did I do?"

"You're scared," Blaine snarled, "that's a start. But what I really want is you filled with regret."

"Regret over what?! Jesus, don't...don't shank me or whatever, okay?" 12's voice grew high and panicky. Blaine drove a fist into his stomach.

"Your voice is kind of high right now," Blaine remarked casually as 12 doubled over with a groan, "reminds me of Kurt Hummel. Do you make fun of him for his voice? Do you harass him because of what he wears, shove him into lockers for the way he looks?"

"Look, I didn't know," 12 rasped, "I didn't know he was...yours. I'm sorry!"

"No you're not," Blaine growled, pulling him up again and forcing him to look him in the eye, "but you will be. And your friend will be, too, when I'm done."

He had to admire his own restraint. He ended up roughing up both jocks quite a bit, but nothing that required a hospital, and nothing they'd bother reporting, for fear of admitting they had their asses kicked by a gay kid. He spent the last few minutes of the school day having a cigarette to calm down and making himself a little more presentable in the bathroom so he'd be ready to meet Kurt.

Since Kurt hadn't driven to school today, they'd be taking Blaine's car again. Blaine frowned absently, thinking he maybe should have taken some time to clean up his car, but it was too late now. He leaned against the hood and watched Kurt slowly make his way over to him in the parking lot. He smiled at how Kurt's friends gawked after him, pleased that Kurt wasn't trying to hide who he was meeting with or what he was doing. He didn't want to be the model citizen's dirty little secret.

Kurt looked amazing, despite the healing cut on his cheek and slight discoloration. Blaine wondered what he'd told his friends and family, but decided not to bring it up. His cheeks were pink and his hair windswept, falling down over his forehead a little, which made his young face look even younger and more innocent. Blaine's chest ached at the sight of him; he couldn't help but grin. Kurt finally reached him, wearing a small, shy smile himself on those pale pink lips.

"Hey," Blaine said, "learn lots of important stuff this afternoon?"

"More than you did, I'm guessing," Kurt said, his smile widening. Blaine winked at him and walked to the passenger door, opening it. Kurt looked at him in confusion, so Blaine gestured to the car with his hand.

"Aren't you getting in?"

"Y-yeah," Kurt said, hobbling adorably around Blaine and sliding into the passenger's seat. Blaine tried not to concentrate too much on how good he smelled, like fresh rain. He shut the door and jogged to the other side, smirking at two of Kurt's friends who were openly staring at him. He got in the car and shut the door behind him, settling into his seat.

Kurt was very quiet, his head ducked down a little and his hands twisting in his lap. He noticed Kurt would glance at him sideways from beneath his lashed and then quickly look back down again. Blaine cleared his throat, hoping to put him at ease. "So, where to?"

Kurt looked up in mild surprise. "Um...I don't know. I'm not sure what sorts of things you do?" He seemed a little alarmed at the prospect of finding out, so Blaine just smiled and started the car.

"Well, what do you do?"

"Me? I doubt you'd be interested in my day-to-day activities," Kurt said, looking out the window as they pulled out of the parking lot, his cheeks red.

Blaine drummed the steering wheel a little. "Kurt, you seem like a smart person. So I'm not sure why you haven't picked up that I'm interested in basically everything about you."

Kurt flushed darker, turning to look at Blaine. "I don't...I'm sorry if I'm being rude; I just don't understand why someone like you would want to spend time with someone like me."

"I don't know if I'm supposed to be insulted by that or not."

"Not insulted," Kurt rushed to say, and Blaine cast him a quick smile to let him know he wasn't upset. Kurt looked down at his lap again. "It's just that, at school, you're considered to be...I mean, aside from the whole, um, danger thing, people consider you to be cool. And me and my friends, we're at the bottom of the popularity totem pole. We're underneath the ground, actually. Losers."

Blaine looked over at him as he pulled to a stop, and never had he so strongly felt like kissing and not kissing a person at the same time. "We're here," he said.

He'd brought Kurt to a ravine he'd found when he first transferred.

Kurt got out, gripping the door of the car nervously. "What do you do here?"

Blaine let out a small laugh and took Kurt's hand, pulling it away from the door so he could shut it. Instead of dropping his hand, he laced their fingers together, pleased when Kurt looked down at their intertwined hands and blushed, but didn't let go. "Relax, Kurt. You're safe with me, you know? I didn't bring you here to lure you into an illicit life of prostitution and heroin addiction. There's an easy trail up ahead with a nice view of the river. I hang out here sometimes."

Kurt offered him a sheepish smile and they made their way to the trail, hands still clasped together. Blaine went slow, making sure Kurt was doing okay with his ankle, until they reached a small clearing that showed off the river and surrounding trees.

"I've never been here before," Kurt said, his breath coming out in little wispy puffs. Blaine watched them curl through the air, silently wishing he could swallow them down and then cover Kurt's mouth with his own for direct access. He bet Kurt's breath was as sweet as the rest of him.

"You're not a loser," Blaine said, immediately wishing that hadn't sounded so random. Kurt turned his head and looked at him. "There are plenty of losers at that school." He stroked his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand, enjoying the flush of Kurt's skin and the way he shivered just a little. "You're not one of them."

Kurt shook his head. "I-it's okay. I know that's what people think here, but as soon as high school is over, I'll be out of this little backwards town."

"Where will you go?"

This seemed to be the thing to make Kurt relax the most. He told Blaine about his dreams of living in New York, of becoming a professional performer and one day travelling the world. The light in his eyes as he envisioned his future was beautiful. Once, he seemed to realize he had been gushing and stopped, flustered, but Blaine just asked him another question and squeezed his hand, encouraging him to keep talking. Blaine loved the sound of his voice, high and soft. He could listen to him all day.

Eventually it got too chilly outside, and Blaine could see Kurt was starting to shiver from the cold. They made their way back to his car and he cranked up the heat, taking Kurt's hands in his and holding them over the vent.

"What about you?" Kurt asked, as he stared down at their hands. "What...what are you going to do after graduation? Where will you go?"

Blaine had dreams, sort of. He just happened to be a lot more cynical about life turning out the way he hoped. So he gave Kurt a careless smile and winked. "Wherever the wind takes me."


	8. Chapter 8

Kurt and Blaine left the ravine and drove to the Lima Bean to get coffee and warm up. When their orders were ready, Blaine told Kurt to stay at the table and keep his ankle up on an extra chair while he got their drinks. Kurt curled his chilly hands around a warm mug of non-fat mocha gratefully, blushing when he realized Blaine was looking at him over the rim of his coffee cup as he took a sip of his medium drip.

He was finding it easier to talk to Blaine now, but he still felt out of his comfort zone. Blaine was the first out gay guy his age that he'd ever met, and they were spending time together. Was it a date? Did he want it to be? He thought of how good it felt to hold hands with Blaine, and of how he would find himself caught up in looking at Blaine. He was really...well, hot. He didn't think Blaine was about to beat him up or anything, but he wasn't sure what to expect of him. When he'd told Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel about their plans to hang out after school, Rachel had gasped but pressed for all the details he could supply, Mercedes had warned him it was a bad idea, and Tina just took it as confirmation that Blaine wanted to sleep with him.

"He hangs out with the Skanks, Kurt," Mercedes warned, "those girls aren't exactly known for playing hard to get."

Rachel gripped her arm. "Do you think Blaine will expect Kurt to have sex with him right away?" She looked at Kurt in alarm. "Today, even?"

"No-" Kurt tried to protest.

"Probably," Tina said, braiding her hair absently, "I mean most guys nowadays expect at least a hand job on the first date. That's what Brittany told me. Mike was different, but he's not most guys. And this is Blaine Anderson we're talking about here."

"You should back out," Mercedes had told him, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Let him have some fun!" Tina said with a roll of her eyes.

"It wouldn't be fun," Rachel hissed, "Kurt hasn't even had his first kiss. He doesn't need some heart-breaking Lothario taking advantage of his innocence!"

"I'll be fine," he had assured them, "it's not like that."

Still, he did wonder where Blaine was going with all of this. He touched Kurt a lot, looked at him like he was trying to memorize every inch of him, and everything so far had seemed like a date, down to the beautiful view of the ravine and Blaine opening his door for him. That last thing especially had taken him by surprise.

So when Blaine sat down across from him and smiled at him after taking a drink of his coffee, Kurt couldn't help but blurt out: "Is this a date?"

Blaine put his coffee down, his eyebrows rising.

"I mean..." Kurt said, but then couldn't think of anything to clarify or erase what he had just asked.

"Well, what do you think?" Blaine asked, resting his chin on his hand.

Kurt flushed. "I don't know." He looked down. "I've never been on a date before. This all just seems...like something. Like a date."

He looked up to find Blaine grinning, but Blaine didn't start laughing at him. He looked happy. "If you want this to be a date, then it's a date," Blaine told him. He placed his hand on the table, palm up. "Because I want it to be."

Kurt looked at him for a moment, heart thudding in his chest. He honestly couldn't believe this was all happening. If someone had told him a week ago that the school bad ass, dangerous, intimidating Blaine Anderson, would be sitting across from him in a coffee shop holding out his hand for Kurt to take with an inviting smile on his face, Kurt never would have believed them.

Smiling shyly, he placed his hand in Blaine's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A couple hours later, Blaine finally drove Kurt home. Kurt's belly twisted with nerves. He'd seen enough rom coms to know what the end of the date meant.

Blaine cut the engine on his car at everything became very quiet.

"Well," Kurt said awkwardly, "I had a good time." He peeked at Blaine, who was gazing at him with soft eyes.

"Me too," Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand again. Kurt didn't think he'd ever get used to it. "And I want a repeat as soon as we can arrange it."

"Oh," Kurt said, blushing, "yes - I mean, that would be nice." He felt so silly, like the words coming out of his mouth were scripted lines and not his own but he didn't know what else to say. His palms were sweaty and his belly was still twisting nervously. "But I-I should...my dad's probably waiting for me, so..."

"So..." Blaine looked at him with dark, knowing eyes. Would he try to kiss him? Try for more? Kurt honestly didn't know how he'd react, considering how terrible the last experience he had with kissing was. He felt like he was on the verge of panic.

Blaine leaned closer to him. Kurt held his breath, waiting, but then Blaine ducked his head, bringing Kurt's hand up to his mouth. Kurt could feel his pulse quickening as Blaine pressed a soft kiss to his fingertips and then curled them into his palm, watching him with those golden eyes the whole time. Kurt couldn't seem to look away from his gaze.

"So I guess you better go and let him know I haven't abducted his son," Blaine said lowly. Kurt felt a rush of emotion. He was so relieved that Blaine hadn't tried to kiss him; he just didn't feel ready yet. He was also touched that Blaine hadn't pushed it. And on top of those things, his head was spinning with a longing he didn't fully understand at the moment.

He didn't know what else to do, so he decided to be bold. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders, pressing his face into his shoulder and squeezing his eyes shut tight. A moment later, he felt Blaine's arms slide around his torso and hold him tight. Feeling more confident than ever, he raised his head and whispered in Blaine's ear: "Thank you for the lovely evening."

Then he pulled back and got out of the car with a nervous smile, happy to see Blaine grinning back at him.

As soon as he was inside his house and the front door was shut, he felt his knees buckle and slid to the floor, feeling breathless. He raised his hand to his eye level and looked at the finger tips that Blaine had kissed. He could have sworn they were tingling.

Slowly, he pressed them to his own lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Blaine drove home from his first date with Kurt, grinning and humming the whole way. He couldn't resist replaying the night's events over and over in his head. There was no denying he loved making Kurt blush. He liked that Kurt was starting to relax around him, because he didn't want him to be afraid or nervous with him, but at the same time, being able to set Kurt on edge in a different way was delicious. The look in Kurt's eyes when Blaine had kissed his fingertips was one he soon wouldn't forget. He had been able to tell Kurt was too nervous for a kiss, but seeing his eyes darken as he pressed his lips to those soft fingers had been a great consolation.

He went inside his house and, after a casual "hello" to his parents, who were watching TV, he headed upstairs to his room and fell down on his bed. He stretched and sighed, pulling off his jacket and toeing off his boots, letting them fall to the floor with a loud thunk.

The look in those blue eyes. Kurt's rosy lips. His pale cheeks pinking in response to Blaine. The way his sinfully tight jeans clung to every inch of him. His elegant hands and slender fingers.

"Fuck," Blaine groaned, trailing a hand down his chest and then undoing his belt buckle as he wet his lips.

He was pretty sure there was going to be a lot more jerking off for him for the next while.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blaine went to school the next day in a great mood. He actually put in the effort to arrive on time in the morning so he could catch Kurt after the first period break.

Except Kurt seemed to be avoiding him. It wasn't anything obvious, but he always seemed to conveniently not notice Blaine in the hall, or get quickly whisked away by one of his busybody friends. Confused and frustrated, he told himself he'd just have to wait until lunch to talk to him.

Except come lunch time, Kurt was nowhere to be found.

Blaine ended up pacing outside the glee club choir room, glowering and scowling so much that the hall cleared out pretty quick, his fellow students deciding to leave him space in light of his obviously lousy mood. All except one.

"So," Santana Lopez said, walking up to him in her Cheerios uniform without any sign of fear, "did you fuck Hummel last night or what?"

"What?" Blaine said, glaring at her.

She shrugged. "Everyone's talking about it. You guys hung out after school yesterday and now he's like a timid little church mouse, well more than usual, and scurried off campus for lunch. So rumor has it you bent him over the hood of your car in the dark of the night and went to town on that ass, and now he's all traumatized. Or thirsty for more, depending who you talk to."

"He went off campus for lunch? To avoid me?" Blaine struggled not to let the hurt he felt show on his face.

"Yep." Santana cracked her gum. "Maybe be more gentle next time."

"Fuck off, Lopez."

"Aww," she cooed, "or maybe you're secretly a total softie. Was Hummel expecting a wild ride and you killed his boner with some bad poetry and a declaration of love?"

Blaine was about to swear at her again, but he stopped, unable to stop a quirk of a smile, despite everything. She was kind of funny in her extreme bitchiness.

"You'd know what that's all about, wouldn't you?" He said to her slyly. She stiffened. "Yeah, I bet your...friend Brittany could tell me all about what a cunning linguist you are." He had noticed them at school, even if the rest of the idiots here didn't. It was little things, like the way Brittany touched Santana's wrist, or how Santana would smile at Brittany, that told him it was more than just hooking up for boys' attention. Quinn hadn't said anything outright, but she used to be best friends with them, and her evasive way of talking about them just made it more obvious.

Santana glared at him, hard, but some of the color drained out of her face. Blaine gave her a sincere half-smile. "Relax, Santana. No one's going to hear it from me."

She just stared at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She turned on her heel and strutted away.

For all her meanness, Santana had helped Blaine out. He now knew that Kurt was actually trying to avoid him for real, and he'd have to confront him about it in the afternoon, when they had class together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blaine didn't waste any time. He walked right up to Kurt, who curled in on himself and looked away, ignoring the terrified looks of his friends.

"You're avoiding me," he said simply, loud enough for the people around them to hear.

Kurt's face was red. "Can we please talk about this later?"

Blaine sat down, straddling the chair in front of Kurt. "Nope. I even bribed Ms. Davis with a splash of whiskey in her coffee to buy us some time." He turned to Kurt's friends, Tina and Rachel. "You wanna give us some privacy?" The girls, especially Rachel, looked scared out of their wits, but they didn't move.

Kurt suddenly stood up. "It's fine," he told his friends. Lowering his eyes and fiddling with the strap of his schoolbag, he spoke to Blaine. "Let's talk in the hall, okay?"

"Hey Hummel," a jock called after them as they made their way out of the room, "you a total cockslut now? Knew you just needed one fuck! Now you'll be begging for it from all of us!"

Blaine turned to look at the guy, who flinched back at the expression on his face. Blaine paused by the teacher's desk and glanced down at the seating chart. "Donny Geltsenheimer, huh? You and I are going to have a little chat later," Blaine promised. The room was silent and Donny visibly gulped. But Kurt was ducking out of the room and so Blaine quickly followed, making sure he wouldn't give him the slip again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurt walked briskly out of the classroom, but that didn't stop Blaine from jogging a little to overtake him and lead him into the empty astronomy club room.

"Is that what this is about?" Blaine asked, shutting the door behind him. Kurt eyed the shut door nervously, clutching his hands together infront of his body. "Have people been giving you a hard time? Because you just need to tell me and I'll deal with it."

"That's it," Kurt blurted out, blushing when Blaine's eyebrows rose, "that's the problem." He took a deep breath and Blaine said nothing, waiting for him to continue. "I don't care what people say about me. They've been saying awful things for a long time and while it isn't fun, I know I only have to put up with it for a little while longer before I leave them all behind in this small, backwards hicktown."

Blaine cocked his head. "I don't get it. Then why are you avoiding me?"

Kurt looked down. "I...I'm not ashamed of...spending time with you," he said softly, "at least..." He swallowed and looked up. "I-I saw them this morning. The guys from last week."

Blaine frowned, but then a look of understanding flashed across his face. "Those assholes that were-"

"Did you do that to them?" Kurt whispered, looking back down at the floor, his shoulders hunching up around his ears. "They look terrible." The jocks who had harassed him before Blaine showed up and stopped them were messed up. Kurt had seen them before first period, 12 with a split lip and a black eye, 8 wincing and clutching his middle every time he reached up or twisted his torso, hissing in pain when he clenched his swollen jaw.

He looked up briefly and saw Blaine staring at him in surprise. "You're upset that I roughed up those douchebags?"

"N-not all problems can be solved with fists," Kurt said, "they'll never learn any better if you just answer them blow for blow. Violence is wrong."

Blaine huffed impatiently. "Look, Kurt, I'm not a horrible person. But if someone crosses the line and pisses me off, I'm gonna put them in their place, sometimes violently. I see nothing wrong with that, and I'm not gonna change. I don't know why you're acting like this is new information."

Kurt stared determinedly at his hands as he asked the question that had been plaguing him since he saw 12's face and realized what had happened. "And...and what if one day, I'm the one who...makes you angry?"

He remained tense as he heard Blaine walk towards him. He let out a little gasp when two fingers slid under his chin and tilted his head up until he met Blaine's eyes.

"Kurt, I would never hurt you." Blaine's eyes were wide and remarkably earnest. "I'd never do something like that to you. When I talk about someone crossing the line, I'm talking about people like those guys...I went after them because they hurt you...they were going to hurt you even more, and they didn't care at all."

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut against tears as he thought about the previous Friday, how scared he'd been. And how terrified he'd felt when he saw what Blaine was capable of. In some ways he was more dangerous than all the jerks at their school combined. He felt a tear slip down his cheek. As scary as Blaine seemed sometimes, Kurt had been feeling guilty for avoiding him all day.

He felt Blaine's arms slowly wrap around him, and after staying still for a second, he relaxed against him, tentatively returning his hug. Blaine felt so good, steady and solid, and Kurt breathed him in despite himself. He smelled like old leather and a hint of smoke, and Kurt found he liked it a lot.

"I'd never hurt you," Blaine murmured, "I promise, Kurt. You're...you're innocent and good. I could never hurt someone like you."

Kurt didn't think that Blaine could guarantee it, but he could tell that he meant it all the same. The stronger his feelings for Blaine grew, the more danger he was in of being hurt, even if he had no bruises to show for it.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered, "I didn't mean to be rude."

"Don't worry about it," Blaine said with a little laugh, and he drew back to look at Kurt, plucking a tissue from the box on the counter and handing it to him. "As long as we're on the same page now, I don't care."

Kurt felt a tightening in his chest as he looked at Blaine, whose eyes were sparkling again, a hint of a smirk on his full lips.

"There's no point in going back to class," Blaine confessed, "I put enough whiskey in that coffee to get us this period free."

Kurt shook his head, smiling. "You're terrible."

"Let's get out of here," Blaine said, and he slid his hand down to grasp Kurt's. Kurt stared down at their linked hands for a minute, blushing.

"Where will we go?"

"I wanna show you something."


	10. Chapter 10

Blaine loved how Kurt's hand fitted in his. Kurt's long, elegant fingers laced with his, his soft, warm palm pressed against Blaine's own.

He led him to the school auditorium, grinning at the little questioning noise Kurt made when Blaine showed him the ladder backstage.

Okay, he let Kurt go up first so he could stare at his ass. He was only human, after all.

They reached the little space above the stage where they kept some old set pieces and lights.

"I think there's an old tuxedo of mine stored away up here," Kurt said softly, "half black and half white, from a duet I did with myself."

"A duet you did with yourself?" Blaine winked. "Sounds hot."

Kurt blushed and mumbled something about Santana Lopez under his breath, but Blaine didn't push it. He took Kurt's hand again and walked over to the corner where a few backdrops were leaning against the wall. He nudged them aside to reveal a small door that came up to his chest.

"Come on," he whispered to Kurt, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"Is this leading to some room with a peep hole or something?" He asked nervously.

"I never knew you could be so dirty," Blaine teased him, stroking his hand with his thumb when he blushed again.

The door opened to a small passage way. Blaine went first this time, to make Kurt feel more at ease.

When they came to the other side of the short hall, Kurt gasped.

"What is this place?"

"It's mine," Blaine told him quietly, "well, I found it in my first week at McKinley. I don't think anyone knows about it."

"It's beautiful up here," Kurt said. He took a step inside, and another. Blaine let go of his hand so he could look around.

"Did you draw these?" Kurt asked, looking at the pictures tacked up on the walls.

"Uh, yeah," Blaine said, scratching his neck. This was the part he was kind of nervous about.

"Some of these are of me," Kurt said, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," Blaine said again, "but it's not some stalker thing, I promise. See? There's ones of people from my old school. That one is my brother Cooper. And there are some of people from this school, too. Like, there's Mercedes, and the lunch lady, hell, even Rick the Stick is up there." He smiled when Kurt laughed at Rick's snarling expression.

Kurt turned to him. "They're wonderful," he said. Blaine's smile widened into a grin and he walked over to him. Kurt turned to look at a sketch of his own face, one with his eyes shut, a peaceful, innocent look on his face. It was one of Blaine's favorites.

"I can't believe you drew pictures of me," he said.

"Well," Blaine slowly said, "your face is the kind of face that belongs in art." Kurt looked at him again, cheeks stained pink.

"I wish I could draw your face," he said, blushing even harder and looking away, "maybe...maybe one day I could sing you a song." He shook his head. "Never mind. I know glee club seems lame to anyone not in it."

"I want to hear you sing," Blaine said softly. He grasped Kurt's hand again and pulled him over to the old, worn couch, spreading out a blanket he'd brought up when he'd first found this space in case Kurt was worried about his clothes. The couch was kind of gross.

"Thank you for showing me this place," Kurt said, "I know it must be special to you."

Blaine smiled. "Now it's more special." He loved seeing Kurt's face go all pink in response to him, the way a smile would tug on his lips and his eyelashes would flutter just a little.

He reached into the box beside the couch and pulled out a beer, cracking the tab and taking a sip. "Want some?" He asked Kurt.

Kurt stared at him like he'd grown another head. "Drinking at school? Underage?"

Blaine smirked and took another swallow. "You've never had any alcohol in your life, have you?"

Kurt pursed his lips. "I did once. I threw up on the guidance counselor's shoes."

"You did?! You were drunk at school? Why?"

Kurt stared down at his hands. "Someone told me it would make me feel more confident. I wasn't out at the time. Well, it was a glass closet, because it's not like anyone looks at me and thinks anything other than "flaming homo"-"

"When I first looked at you, I thought you were gorgeous. And that anyone who wore pants that tight couldn't be as innocent as he seemed. Not that there's anything wrong with being a flaming homosexual." He took another swig of his beer, humming, until he noticed Kurt was staring at him with a very vulnerable look on his face. "...Kurt?"

"Blaine, I need to know. I need to know what's happening here, because the way I'm feeling...about you," Kurt swallowed and reached out, holding both of Blaine's hands, "I've never dated before, never had a boyfriend. I've never been with anyone in any way, and before we get in too deep, if you truly care about me, I need to know. Because I'm getting into something, and I-I don't know what I'm doing, and I know with the way things are going, it's a strong possibility that one day you will have the power to break my heart."

Blaine felt a swooping in his belly, and his heart raced at the sight of Kurt's beseeching eyes, the tremble of his lip. "Kurt," he breathed, "don't you know you already have that power over me?"

Kurt blinked, his eyes searching, then he took a deep breath and leaned forward, sliding down and resting his head on Blaine's chest. "Is this alright?" He asked quietly.

Blaine's blood thrummed pleasantly as Kurt's scent invaded his senses and he wrapped his arms around his slender frame. His belly swooped again when Kurt nuzzled against him tentatively and draped an arm across his chest. Blaine rested his cheek on top of Kurt's head.

"More than."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Blaine confessed to Kurt on that dingy couch that he could break his heart, Kurt was overwhelmed. His heart had sped up and his stomach twisted pleasantly, and he might have started to tear up, except his mind was racing.

Never in his life had he ever wanted to kiss someone so badly. Even when he had a crush on Finn, he mostly fantasized about Finn rescuing him from bullies or going on romantic dates with him, things like sunset picnics and Finn rowing them in a small boat in a beautiful pond while Kurt read poetry to him. He hadn't ever really let himself think too much about the physical stuff, maybe because of how everyone at school accused him of being a pervert because he was gay. And then everything with Karofsky had happened, and he hadn't wanted to even think about kissing.

But in that moment, he wanted to kiss Blaine so badly. He didn't, though. He was scared, scared that it wouldn't be good, that he wouldn't be good. With Brittany, their chaste kiss was dry and awkward, and with Karofsky, it was just terrifying and painful and disgusting. He worried his experiences had made him a bad kisser, and that Blaine would hate him and want nothing to do with him. And he was scared that maybe he just didn't like kissing, which meant he would never have a proper boyfriend and never fall in love and get married like he dreamed.

So instead, he did the next best thing. He slid down and hugged Blaine, tentatively resting his cheek against Blaine's firm chest, his heart stuttering at the closeness. Blaine's arms wrapped around him and he closed his eyes, smiling in contentment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Kurt woke up sometime later, he and Blaine were stretched out on the couch, with Kurt lying on top of Blaine, his head still pillowed on his chest. Blaine was dozing, his arms looped loosely around Kurt's waist, one hand casually gripping the back of his belt. Kurt blushed at the proximity of Blaine's hand to his butt and tried to wiggle a little to reach and gently move his hand up a little, but his movements woke Blaine, who opened his eyes with a little start, and then smiled down at Kurt, moving his hand of his own accord and rubbing Kurt's back lightly.

Somehow that made Kurt blush more, and he slowly sat up. Blaine followed him easily, until they were sitting upright, but Kurt was essentially in Blaine's lap.

"Good rest?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded, feeling more shy after their impromptu nap. It occurred to him that he might be missing his last class of the day, but he couldn't bring himself to move.

"The creases from my jacket made lines on your cheek," Blaine whispered, like this was a private joke, and Kurt laughed self-consciously, reaching up to touch his face. Blaine beat him to it and cupped his jaw, this thumb tracing over the indentations on his cheek. "Kurt," he said lowly, his voice warm and soft, "I really want to kiss you."

Kurt's breath caught in his throat. All his worries and fears seemed to blur and fade with Blaine's mouth so close to his, Blaine's smell all around him, Blaine warm underneath and beside him. His eyes slid shut.

"I want to kiss you too," he said softly.

He waited in anticipation, unconsciously tilting his chin up a little in invitation. He didn't know what to expect; he couldn't imagine Blaine would give him an innocent kiss. Would it be hard and rough? Maybe he'd like that when it was actually wanted. But he didn't know if he wanted it for a first kiss. His first real kiss.

Lips, soft but firm, a little chapped, caught his own gently. His hands twisted in his lap as Blaine tightened the arm around his waist and used his other hand to tilt his head and deepen their kiss.

Their kiss. It wasn't innocent, not with the way Blaine caught Kurt's bottom lip and sucked on it, not with how urgently Kurt leaned into him and slid his hands up Blaine's chest, curling his fingers into his t-shirt, feeling his heart beat underneath. But it wasn't rough or forceful, either. Blaine didn't push him back or grab hold of his head; if anything, Kurt was leaning into him, more and more, like Blaine was gently guiding him towards him and Kurt couldn't help but pursue his mouth.

Right around the time his head started to spin, Blaine eased away, pausing to kiss Kurt again with a soft brush of his lips. Kurt kept his eyes shut for a moment, not really aware when his tongue darted out to lick his lips and catch a lingering taste of Blaine there. He heard Blaine inhale sharply and opened his eyes.

"Was it...was it okay?" He asked, his face heating up. He started to move his hands away from Blaine's chest, but Blaine caught them and held them over his heart, which was thumping rapidly.

Blaine looked at him, eyes wide and sparkling. He started to smile. "You just have no idea, do you? No idea what you do to me."

Kurt licked his lips again. "Well, you should show me."

Blaine stared at him for a second, and then they both dove in for another taste.


	11. Chapter 11

Kissing Blaine quickly became one of Kurt's favorite things, alongside singing, the rare but special hugs from his dad, planning his weekend outfits, and therapeutic cooking. They kissed in Blaine's car, in Kurt's car, in the empty astronomy classroom, under the bleachers when none of the Skanks were around, and best of all, in their secret space above the auditorium.

Of course, they did other things, too. After spending a lot of time looking at Blaine's drawings, Kurt shyly showed Blaine his clothing designs, dozens of outfits in his sketchpads, and beamed with pride when Blaine stroked the pages and said he'd love to see Kurt wearing the things he'd drawn. They went for coffee and talked for hours, discovering a mutual love of bad reality television, they hung out while Kurt did his homework and Blaine neglected to do his, opting to read some obscure novel instead, and they listened to all kinds of music. Kurt was pleased to discover that Blaine didn't automatically say "no" to listening to showtunes, and actually had a secret love of top 40 pop starlet hits.

Two and a half weeks after their first kiss, Kurt felt ready to go to Blaine's house. It would be just the two of them, alone, and the plan was to watch Singing In the Rain followed by listening to a new album Blaine had discovered, but Kurt had a feeling they might get sidetracked by more...physical pursuits.

"So, you're going to do it?" Rachel asked that Friday, munching on a carrot intensely.

"No!" Kurt yelped, shushing her. "It's...we're not...we're taking things slow." He blushed.

"Or is it just you taking things slow and him about to get pissed off about it?" Mercedes said, narrowing her eyes.

"Mercedes," Kurt sighed, "Blaine has been nothing but a gentleman and wonderful person to spend my time with. You need to ease up."

"I'm sorry," she said with a roll of her eyes, "but I'm just really protective of you."

"Well, so is Blaine," Kurt said, his cheeks hot at the coo Rachel let out, "so please stop worrying."

"Maybe we could if we got to know him a little better," Rachel said, "I mean, he is your boyfriend, right? So as your best friends, we should be friends with him too. But he never sits with us at lunch. Right now, he's probably under the bleachers doing drugs with Quinn and those other Skanks."

Kurt knew that Blaine had actually decided to skip the afternoon of school altogether. He'd stopped by Kurt's locker right when class let out for lunch.

"I won't be at any of my usual spots at lunch," he had said, turning his body to hide to most of the hallway the way his hand possessively slid over the small of Kurt's back and settled on his waist. Kurt fought not to squirm in delight and nervousness.

"Where will you be?"

"I'm heading home for the afternoon. Got some stuff to take care of."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Aren't you nosy?" Blaine had teased him, leaning forward to peck him on the nose.

Kurt had looked at him for a minute. "Are you going to clean up your house before I come over?" Blaine had just hummed in response and Kurt couldn't stop the stupid grin that spread across his face.

He just shook his head in response to Rachel's accusation, but her words did give him pause. Were he and Blaine boyfriends? Did Blaine even do the whole boyfriend thing? Kurt wanted to be Blaine's boyfriend, wanted Blaine to be his, but he couldn't just assume. Kissing didn't mean they were exclusive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As a result of his conversation with his friends, Kurt's mood was a little lower than before when he finally arrived at Blaine's house. If he and Blaine weren't exclusive, that meant Blaine could be out kissing other boys, doing things Kurt wasn't doing with him with other boys, and the worst part is, what concerned Kurt the most wasn't that he didn't have Blaine all to himself, but the worry that Blaine might find he preferred spending time with boys who operated at his level, at his pace, instead of Kurt, inexperienced and probably considered a prude. After all, he and Blaine hadn't even French kissed yet.

Still, he did feel a little better when Blaine answered the door with a charming grin and pulled him inside, wrapping an arm around his waist and pressing a quick, firm kiss to his lips.

"Hey," he said, "I'm no master chef like you, but I think my chicken stir fry is passable."

Kurt barely had time to look around before he was being whisked into the kitchen and sat at the table. "You cooked for me?"

"Don't act so surprised," Blaine said, putting a plate piled with food in front of him, "you're the one who made me cookies and hand-delivered them even when you were still wary enough around me to bolt at any second."

Kurt ducked his head and smiled, taking a delicate bite of the stir fry and making an appreciative noise. They ate in companionable silence, speaking once or twice. Kurt liked that he felt comfortable around Blaine now, even if he was still nervous about tonight. This would be the first time he'd see Blaine's room, and the first time since that night when Blaine took care of him that they'd be alone together for a night.

Was this the point where Blaine expected Kurt to sleep with him? They were seeing each other now, after all, and Blaine had made sure to tell Kurt that his parents would be gone for the weekend.

"So how about that movie?" Blaine asked after they put their dishes in the sink.

"Oh," Kurt said, butterflies in his stomach, "you know, I didn't see much before we had dinner. How about a tour of your house?"

"Sure," Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand in his. He led him through the house, which was bigger than Kurt's and styled with elegant, classic pieces. It was clear that Blaine's parents were pretty well off. Kurt wondered what they thought of having a cigarette-smoking, class-cutting, fist-fighting rebel for a son.

"Out back we have a hot tub and a pool. We don't use the pool during the winter, obviously, but if you're up for it, we can hot tub some time."

Kurt felt his heartbeat speed up and color rise to his cheeks at the thought of being alone with Blaine in a hot tub, both of them half-naked and wet and close...it was overwhelming on top of everything else. "Maybe," he said softly.

"That's about it, except for my room," Blaine said, leading him back down the stairs, "I have the basement to myself."

Kurt held on to Blaine's hand, taking comfort in the gentle but steady grip as he followed Blaine to the basement, a single large room and ensuite bathroom. Blaine had some drawings up, as well as posters of bands and musicians he liked. A large bookshelf lined one wall. There was a couch and a big armchair in one corner, but Blaine's large TV was set up to face his king-size bed. The colors were warm and rich. They reminded Kurt of Blaine, and he liked them very much.

Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and jumped onto his bed with a flop, rolling over and folding his hands behind his head with a grin. Kurt fiddled with his tie and looked at him, hesitating.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked with a nod of his head to the empty space beside him on the bed. "Best seat in the house right here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blaine watched as Kurt sat down beside him on his bed gingerly, letting out a little breath. Blaine shifted so he was sitting up too, and tried to keep his wits about him. Kurt was facing straight forward, and Blaine could see he was tense. He didn't know exactly what he should do. Part of him wanted to just tug on Kurt's tie and kiss him until he relaxed, and another part wanted to massage the tension out of his shoulders and back. But he knew this was new territory for Kurt, and part of him thought maybe there was another way to make him more comfortable.

"Hey," he said, running a hand lightly down Kurt's back, taking it as a good sign when Kurt's back curved into his touch instead of tensing up more, "are you nervous?"

Kurt ducked his head with a little embarrassed smile, looking up at Blaine through his eyelashes and taking Blaine's breath away. "Don't judge me too hard."

Blaine moved again so he was sitting cross-legged in front of Kurt, his back to the TV. "Why would I judge you? You're not the only nervous one here, you know."

Kurt blinked at him in surprise, as if the thought of Blaine being nervous had never occurred to him before. "You're nervous?"

"You couldn't tell by the way I yanked you into the kitchen earlier and practically shoved stir-fry into your face?" Blaine affected a cocky smirk. "Guess I'm just good at playing it cool."

Kurt rolled his eyes. Blaine noticed he was relaxing a little more. "Obviously, I'm not."

"And I think it's adorable," Blaine teased, but sobered up at the frown on Kurt's face. "Look, this isn't the first time I've had another guy in my room. But it is the first time I've had you in my room. And because it's you...yeah, I'm a little nervous."

He looked around at his room, hoping it was clean enough and passed Kurt's interior design standards. After all, he envisioned spending a lot of time with Kurt here.

Kurt was looking around at his room again too, his eye flitting over the posters, the furniture, the old records he had piled up and other random stuff. "I like your room," he said to Blaine with a smile, "it's very...you. And..." He met Blaine's eyes with an open, steady gaze. "I really like you."

Blaine let out a breath and leaned forward, cupping Kurt's face in his hands and kissing him with a smacking "mwah!"

"Now, let's see what's so great about this old movie of yours."

"It's a classic, Blaine. Kind of like you."

Blaine almost snorted at this, but his delight at Kurt's increasingly bold flirting stopped him. He merely raised an eyebrow at this with another smirk.

"It's true," Kurt said, as the music started up, "you're more of a classic than you realize."

Blaine felt a warmth in the pit of his belly, satisfying and pleasing. He settled back against the pillows, waiting for Kurt to settle down next to him after only a brief hesitation, and then pulled him close, tucking an arm under his head as they turned their attention to the movie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They managed to finish the movie and even listen to one of the songs from the new album Blaine wanted to play, but now they had abandoned trying to pay the music any real attention in favor of paying attention to each other's lips.

They were sitting up, alternating between soft grazes of lips and long, searching, pressing kisses that left Blaine aching for more. Kurt's hands were fisting in Blaine's hair, and Blaine rested one hand on Kurt's waist, the other cupping the back of his head. It would be so easy to just tip Kurt back and move so they were both lying down and probably more comfortable, but Blaine had a feeling it might spook Kurt, so he resisted the impulse.

Kurt let out a little moan and Blaine nearly groaned in response. He opened his mouth a little more, about to try coaxing Kurt's lips open for a deeper kiss, but Kurt eased away, panting.

"Blaine, can we...can we talk for a minute?"

Blaine could think of things he'd rather be doing with their mouths at the moment, but he gave Kurt a quick peck and sat back, crossing his legs again, giving Kurt his full attention.

"I was wondering," Kurt said slowly. His already pink cheeks darkened more and he looked up over Blaine's shoulder, pursing his lips. Kissable, kissable lips...Blaine told himself to concentrate.

Kurt huffed out a breath and met Blaine's eyes. "I know this might seem lame to you, but we haven't talked about this and...and I want you to be my boyfriend."

Blaine frowned. "W-"

"It's silly, I know," Kurt rushed on, shaking his head, "but-"

"It's not silly," Blaine said.

Kurt looked up at him again, and Blaine's heart ached at the innocent, hopeful look on his face. "No?"

"Not at all. I guess I kind of figured we already were. Boyfriends. I mean, are you seeing anyone else?"

"No." Kurt blushed and Blaine let out a quiet sigh of relief. There didn't really seem to be many gay guys around Lima, but if anyone could find another guy to date, it would be someone gorgeous and sweet like Kurt. "I just wasn't sure if-if you were. Seeing someone else. Or if you wanted to. Or if you even want a boyfriend at all."

"I do," Blaine said, sliding forward, "I want you." He tugged Kurt forward by his tie, grinning, and kissed him slowly.

Kurt smiled wide. "I want you, too."

With that settled, Blaine was pleased when they quickly returned to kissing, something he just couldn't get enough of.

After a couple minutes, Kurt shuffled to lie down on the bed, smiling nervously and pulling Blaine to lie beside him, hips carefully apart, and kissing him again. Blaine's lower back rejoiced and he let out a hum of pleasure at the way Kurt's lips brushed against his, soft and sensual.

At some point, when Blaine had lost track of the time, he was leaning against his pillows and gently pulling Kurt half on top of him so that their chests pressed together and their lower halves were still apart. He wrapped his arms tight around Kurt's back and began to deepen the kiss, smiling a little when Kurt's tongue tentatively swept against his.

He'd definitely need a cold shower tonight before they went to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm not going to be able to sit with you guys today," Kurt told Mercedes, Rachel, and Tina as they walked into the cafeteria. It was Monday and Kurt wasn't even close to being over the excitement of being able to call Blaine his boyfriend. He had decided that morning that he would brave the Skanks hangout under the bleachers and spend his lunch period with Blaine. Maybe no one else would be there and they could even kiss for a bit. "I have to find Blaine..."

"Looks like you found him," squeaked Rachel.

"What the hell is he doing at our table?" Mercedes whispered.

Kurt stared in surprise at where Blaine was sitting at their regular lunch table. His big black boots were propped up on another chair and he was reading a novel, seemingly unaware of all the curious and wary looks people were giving him.

People started to mutter under their breath as Kurt led the way straight to Blaine.

"Um, should we find somewhere else to sit?" Tina asked uncertainly.

"Of course not!" Kurt said. He was confused but he knew Blaine better than to think he was trying to be rude to Kurt's friends. "He knows its where we all sit. He's not trying to scare you off."

"Then what is he doing?" Mercedes sounded nervous too, but all three girls followed Kurt until they were right in front of Blaine, who looked up and smiled at Kurt.

"Hi," Kurt said shyly, aware that practically the whole cafeteria was watching.

"Hi gorgeous," said Blaine. He tugged on Kurt's hand until Kurt leaned over and then reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Murmurs went through the people around them. Kurt blushed and took a seat next to Blaine. He heard Rachel squeak again.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Well," Blaine said, stealing a fry off of Kurt's tray, "I figured since we're officially boyfriends, I should sit with you at lunch. And get to know your friends." He leaned in and whispered in Kurt's ear. "But I was thinking we could cut out early and spend half of the break alone."

Kurt blushed even harder but his friends didn't seem to have heard. They were slowly taking seats on the other side of the table, as far away from Blaine as possible.

"Mercedes, Tina, Rachel," Kurt said, trying to be casual, "this is Blaine. My boyfriend."

The girls just stared at him until Rachel blinked. "Hi," she said in a small voice." Blaine nodded at her.

It was an awkward lunch. The girls were too on edge to keep a conversation going, Blaine was more interested in Kurt than putting in a real effort to talk to them, and Kurt couldn't stop thinking about Blaine's lips on his to really help them along. Still, he couldn't help but swoon inside, because Blaine wanted to get to know his friends and spend his lunch hour with them because he was Kurt's boyfriend. He was a wonderful boyfriend.

There were about 15 minutes left in their break when Kurt told the girls he'd see them later and let Blaine pull him out of the cafeteria by the hand.

"Thank you for doing that," he said, kissing Blaine on the cheek.

Blaine grinned. "They're alright anyway. I mean, they're your friends, so they can't be all that bad."

Blaine took him to the place under the bleachers. Quinn wasn't there but Ronnie was and she was smoking marijuana. Kurt's eyes bugged out at the sight of it, but she didn't stay long. With one glance from Blaine and a jerk of his head, she left without a word and then he and Blaine were alone.

"I've been waiting to do this since Saturday night," Blaine said, pulling Kurt close and kissing him deeply. Kurt kissed him back eagerly, unaware of the soft sighs and moans he was producing when Blaine walked him backwards over to the couch. When his legs hit it, he sat down, and Blaine followed. Soon they were stretched out on the old thing, Kurt lying on Blaine's leather jacket, wedged against the back of the couch. Blaine was next to him, probably hanging off the edge, but he just gripped Kurt's waist tight as he licked inside Kurt's mouth.

Kurt's head spun with pleasure and he buried his hands in Blaine's gelled curls, pressing as close as he could. Blaine shifted a little so that Kurt was lying on top of him and their bodies were flush.

Blaine's hands slid down and cupped Kurt's butt and Kurt yelped and fell off of the couch.

"Kurt!"

Loud laughter met Kurt's ears and he looked up, face burning in mortification when he saw Quinn and Santana standing there.

"Blaine, you totally just got shot down," Quinn said, amused.

"Did he really think he'd get to pound that ass here?" Santana said to Quinn, obviously for Blaine's benefit. "Hummel's way too much of a prude and germophobe for that."

"Hey, shut the fuck up," Blaine said, annoyed. Kurt looked down. His white jeans had grass stains on the knees now.

"Oh, bad stains," Santana said with mock sympathy. "Bet you wish they got there another way, huh Anderson?"

"Santana," Quinn warned.

"Lopez, I said shut the fuck up."

"Whatever," she said, looking at her nails. "Q, do you have the pills or not?"

As Quinn and Santana went about their business, Kurt slowly got to his feet and sat on the couch beside Blaine, looking at his knees.

"Are you okay?" Blaine said quietly. His hand gently covered one of Kurt's green knees.

"I don't know why I reacted like that," Kurt said, embarrassed.

"I got carried away," Blaine said, "my hands have a mind of their own sometimes. I didn't mean to freak you out."

Kurt shook his head and smiled. He was determined to be a normal boyfriend, and normal boyfriends didn't act like lunatics when their hot, sweet boyfriend touched them below the waist. They certainly didn't embarrass their boyfriends in front of mean cheerleaders.

They definitely didn't think of the leers and suggestions and touch of a closeted jock that had once harassed them.

Normal boyfriends didn't blanch at the thought of having sex with their hot, sweet boyfriend. It was something he'd have to work on so he could make Blaine as happy as Blaine made him.


	13. Chapter 13

Blaine sat patiently beside Kurt as his boyfriend furiously rubbed a Tide pen thing over the stains on his knees. It didn't look like it was working. Kurt's face was red with frustration.

"Hey," said Blaine, and he covered Kurt's hand with his own to stop his movements, "I don't think you're gonna be able to save them."

"I can't let Finn see me like this," Kurt muttered, avoiding Blaine's eyes.

"Why? Who cares what anyone at this school thinks, right?" Blaine knew Kurt was anything but casual about sex, but he hoped...he hoped Kurt wouldn't care too much if people thought the two of them were fooling around. He hated the idea that Kurt might think Blaine was embarrassing to be with.

"I don't care," Kurt said, blushing, "but I know what Finn will think and he wont' be able to keep his rambling mouth shut. He'll say something to Carole and my dad."

"Oh," Blaine said, freezing. If there was one person besides Kurt whose opinion counted, it was his dad's. He exhaled heavily.

Kurt sighed and put the pen away. "It's no use. I'll just have to find some blackmail material to use on Finn to help him keep quiet." He smiled weakly and kissed Blaine lightly on the lips.

"About your dad." Blaine cleared his throat. "Do you think I should meet him?"

Kurt stared at Blaine in surprise and Blaine wondered briefly if Kurt's dad was the kind to threaten boyfriends with shotguns. But then Kurt smiled, blinking rapidly. "You want to meet my family? You...you'd be okay with that?"

"Well, yeah," said Blaine with a laugh, leaning back against the couch and drawing Kurt to snuggle next to him, "it'll probably be a good thing in the end. Your dad can get an impression of me besides the rumor mill and I get to see the guy who managed to raise a sweet," Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek, "smart," he kissed his forehead, "awesome guy like yourself." Blaine's arm tightened around Kurt's shoulder as Kurt blushed and pressed a kiss to Blaine's lips.

Kurt pulled back and then hugged him, holding Blaine close. "I want to meet your family too. Whenever you want."

Blaine was relieved this topic had helped them move past the awkwardness from earlier. He would have to talk to Quinn about bringing Lopez around their spot under the bleachers; that girl was a piece of work. He didn't like how easily she could figure out what to say to pick at someone in the way that would upset them the easiest. Kurt let hurtful comments roll off his back from jocks and basically everyone at the school all the time, and sometimes he even put them in their place with his clever words. But Santana seemed to know the issues that left Kurt uncomfortable and shut off. Blaine didn't want her screwing things up for Kurt in the future. He could tell Kurt had hang ups about sex and the last thing he wanted was to make Kurt uncomfortable.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Kurt told Blaine that he was invited over for dinner that night. Blaine was a little nervous, but he wasn't about to dress up fancy or put on a model citizen act to impress anyone. The dinner was supposed to be casual, and Blaine wanted Kurt's family to know the actual guy he was dating, not some fake persona used to trick them. He wasn't ashamed of who he was and he was glad Kurt wasn't either.

He just hoped Kurt's dad wouldn't be some controlling freak and forbid Kurt from seeing him just because he wasn't squeaky clean. He knew his family was accepting of Kurt's sexuality, so that wasn't a problem. But he also knew he had a bad reputation and parents never liked those. That was why he preferred to be somewhat of a loner, because parents liked to tell their kids who to be friends with, and Blaine never made that list any more.

So he thought it was pretty reasonable to expect that Kurt's dad wouldn't be happy to know his son was dating someone like him.

Blaine drove he and Kurt to the Lima Bean after school and they got coffee and sat and talked. Kurt always took a little prodding to talk about some things, like his glee club or the current Broadway musical he was obsessed with because he always seemed to think Blaine would be uninterested and annoyed. But Blaine loved learning anything he could about Kurt and loved watching his eyes light up when he talked about Wicked or the tiny line that appeared between his eyebrows when he frowned and complained how Schue had given Rachel the solo without thinking yet again.

At five, Kurt smiled hesitantly and told Blaine they should get going. They paid for their coffees and Blaine drove them to Kurt's house. He held Kurt's hand as Kurt led him inside.

The house smelled good, filled with home cooking. Blaine's family didn't really do sit-down meals or anything, so Blaine smiled and took a deep breath. He guessed that someone was making roast chicken.

Kurt looked more nervous than Blaine felt. He knew Kurt's dad mattered to him more than anyone in the world. They went into the living room and Blaine saw an older man sitting in a Lazy Boy. He was wearing a worn plaid shirt and grease stained jeans, a Hummel Tires and Lube hat perched on his head. He was taking a swig of beer when they came in.

"Dad, is that the light beer?" said Kurt suspiciously. Then his eyes widened, like he hadn't meant to start with that.

Kurt's dad put down his can of beer and looked at them.

"I mean," Kurt said, looking flustered, "Dad, this is Blaine." Kurt's dad stood up. "My boyfriend." Blaine couldn't help but smile at Kurt, who looked flushed and pleased at the introduction, if still nervous. "Blaine, this is my dad."

"Burt," Kurt's dad said, sounding casual enough. His eyes were searching, evaluating, though. Blaine knew the invitation to call him by his name didn't mean he was off the hook yet. Burt put out his hand and Blaine took it, shaking it firmly.

"Thanks for having me, Burt," Blaine said.

"You can thank Carole once you've tasted her food," Burt replied, sitting back down. He gestured to the couch beside him. "Why don't you boys sit down? You interested in football, Blaine?"

"Not really," Blaine said, grinning, as he sat down. He pulled Kurt down to sit right beside him and snuck an arm around his shoulders, just like they might sit if they were alone. He could see Kurt was blushing.

"So how long has this been going on?" Burt said, gesturing with his beer can back in his hand between the two of them. "Kurt didn't think to mention he had a boyfriend until yesterday."

Kurt looked sheepish. "It's still kind of new, Dad. And I knew you would want to meet him so I wanted to make sure he would be comfortable."

Blaine looked at Kurt, touched. "Really?"

Kurt nodded and smiled bashfully, ducking his head.

"I don't get it," said Burt, sounding grumpy, "I'm not an intimidating guy."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You once threatened to burn down the school with your flamethrower if I didn't get to audition for Defying Gravity."

Blaine nearly choked. Burt chuckled.

"On that note, Kurt, why don't you go pull Finn away from his video games and get him to help his mom in the kitchen. You and me are on dishes duty tonight."

Kurt flashed Blaine a guilty look but got up and left, squeezing his hand briefly before Blaine was alone with Kurt's dad.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, Burt watching his fishing show and Blaine content to let Burt do whatever he felt he needed to do in order to intimidate or evaluate Blaine - whatever his plan was.

Burt hit the mute button on the TV and turned his head to look at Blaine. Blaine met his gaze steadily.

"I'm gonna be plain with you, Blaine, because I respect you taking the initiative to meet Kurt's family instead of hiding what you're doing like a dirty secret."

"I appreciate it."

"So let's both be honest. You've got a reputation. In a small town like this, it spreads fast. I don't know what is true and what isn't, so you can understand why I've got some questions about this relationship between you and Kurt."

Blaine smiled a little. "Seems fair."

"You doing drugs? Drinking?"

If Burt wanted honesty, Blaine would give him just that. "I drink sometimes and smoke weed now and then. It's not an every day thing and I like to keep my wits about me whenever I do."

"You getting Kurt to do these things with you?"

Blaine pursed his lips and thought about it. "If he wanted to, I wouldn't tell him he couldn't. It's his choice. But as of now, I don't think he's ever tried any drugs or makes a habit of drinking."

Burt chuckled. That was a good sign. "Did he tell you about the time with his teacher's shoes?"

Blaine grinned in response, glad to see Burt had a sense of humor about things like that.

Burt took a swig of his beer. "You solve problems with your fists a lot, Blaine?"

"When I have to," Blaine said simply. He tried to keep his expression from darkening as his mind flashed back to events from his past.

"And what about when you have problems with Kurt?"

Blaine looked up at him, his mouth falling open a little. His stomach churned with disgust at the implication of Burt's words. He suddenly didn't give a fuck and was about to go off on him for thinking he was capable of hurting Kurt like that when Burt held up his hand.

"You don't gotta say anything. Your face says it all." He nodded somberly and Blaine gritted his teeth. His own parents were pretty hands off and let him do what he wanted. He tried to remind himself that Burt was just looking out for Kurt, something he could understand.

"I got one more question in this interrogation," said Burt casually, "and then we can move past it and have a nice evening."

Blaine nodded, already anticipating what the next question would be about.

"Now...I don't really know much about what two guys do together." Now Burt was the one who looked uncomfortable, and Blaine relaxed a little in his seat, amused. "Kurt made me watch Brokeback Mountain once and...well, anyway." Burt looked slightly pained. Blaine decided to get this over with and put him out of his misery.

"Whatever Kurt and I decide to do we'll decide together. I'm not with him to get into his pants so as long as he's comfortable, I'm comfortable. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you we're never going to sleep together, but I respect your son and I really care about him. I'm not going to do anything to hurt him or screw this up."

Burt shifted his hat up and down on his head and looked at Blaine steadily. He nodded once and Blaine knew he had passed the parent test. And just in time - he heard Kurt and Finn's feet on the stairs coming up from the basement.


	14. Chapter 14

Kurt sat beside Blaine during dinner, trying not to squirm or blush too much when Blaine smirked and rubbed his toe lightly along the arch of Kurt's foot and around his ankle under the table.

He felt pretty good about how the evening was going. Blaine and his dad seemed to be getting along well and Carole beamed when Blaine dug into her food with gusto, not disguising how much he liked the home-cooked food. Finn kept staring openly at Blaine from across the table suspiciously. Kurt would have to talk to him about being so rude later.

When dinner was done and it was time for Kurt and his dad to do the dishes, Blaine insisted on helping Kurt instead, so his dad could go relax. Kurt beamed at Carole and his dad's looks of approval.

"That was really nice of you. You didn't have to do that," Kurt said once they were alone in the kitchen. He started to fill the sink with hot, soapy water.

"It was selfish, anyway," Blaine said, coming up behind Kurt and wrapping his arms around his waist, "now I get you all to myself for a little while."

Kurt heard someone clear their throat in the doorway and jumped a little in Blaine's arms. It was Finn. Blaine made no move to let go of Kurt.

"Can we help you, Finn?" Kurt said, his cheeks hot.

Finn crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'm just keeping you company."

Blaine finally let go and stood beside Kurt instead, leaning on the counter with an amused smile. "Are you trying to play chaperone?"

Kurt groaned in embarrassment.

Finn glowered. "I'm looking out for my little brother."

"Finn!"

"I'm not gonna let some shady guy get away with hurting him. If you do anything...well..." Finn glared. "I have the whole football team backing me up. Just know that."

Blaine looked unimpressed.

"Finn, please stop bringing a tired cliche to life," Kurt said, shooing him with his hands. "Unless you feel like actually doing dishes, I don't need a bodyguard." He knew his brother meant well, but this was mortifying.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said sheepishly once Finn was gone.

Blaine shrugged, picking up the towel to dry the dishes. "Hey, if it wasn't your dad, it was bound to be someone else. I'm still waiting for the day Mercedes threatens to kick my ass."

"She won't," Kurt said, "she'd be too scared to."

Blaine frowned a little but then changed the subject, asking if he'd be able to weasel some leftovers out of Carole.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were up later in Kurt's room when Blaine brought up their earlier conversation.

They were sitting lying on Kurt's bed, kissing. Kurt was on his back and Blaine hovered half over him, their bottom halves a respectful distance apart. Kurt was just about to slide his fingers into Blaine's hair when Blaine pulled away.

"Did you mean it earlier?" he said, and Kurt struggled to think of what he was talking about. His lips were swollen and tingling and Blaine looked so good above him with dark eyes and flushed skin. "Are your friends afraid of me?"

"Um," Kurt licked his lips, frowning when Blaine moved away and sat on the bed. He followed and sat beside him. "I think most students at McKinley are. I-it's just that they don't know you. When I first told my friends I was going on a date with you, they couldn't believe it any more than I could."

"Why couldn't you believe it?" Blaine asked quietly, lacing their hands together. "Were you afraid of me too?"

He sounded sad about this. Kurt shuffled closer to him, hugging his arm to his chest. "Not then. Maybe before, just because...well, you're the school's badass. More badass than Puck. But then you helped me, and..." He trailed off, ducking his head.

"So why couldn't you believe you were going on a date with me?"

Kurt pursed his lips, flushing red. "I...I just...didn't think you'd be interested in someone like me. Sometimes it's still hard to understand."

"Kurt, I really, really like you, you know?" Blaine cupped his cheek.

Kurt nodded, smiling. He leaned forward shyly and pressed their lips together.

"You're not afraid of me now, right?" Blaine said.

Kurt shook his head. "Sometimes...every now and then," Kurt swallowed. "Wh-what I feel for you scares me."

Blaine held Kurt's face in both his hands. "I'll never hurt you. And I mean that in every way, okay? I want you to be able to trust me."

"I do," Kurt said, closing his eyes and savoring the gentle strokes of Blaine's thumbs over his cheeks. But no matter how careful Blaine was and no matter how good his intentions, no one had complete control over another person's heartbreak. Kurt knew that, and he knew Blaine might break his heart without ever meaning to. But he was realizing that what he felt for Blaine was worth that risk.


	15. Chapter 15

Kurt didn't ever think he'd have a boyfriend in high school. So now that he did, he was determined to make the most of the situation. He was a little worried at first that Blaine would roll his eyes at Kurt's romantic plans or refuse to do something people might consider lame, but Kurt was quickly learning that Blaine didn't care about what was considered cool or badass, which was exactly what made his boyfriend those things.

For the next month, Kurt juggled school, his friends, glee club, and his family, with planning and going on dates with Blaine. There were so many firsts he was delighted to cross off his list.

One Sunday afternoon they had a picnic in the ravine, despite the cold weather. They brought blankets and cookies and a thermos of coffee. Blaine slipped a little splash of whisky into his own and when Kurt teased him about it being so early in the day, Blaine just winked and said it would help him be warm so he could keep Kurt warm. They ended up wrapped up in the blankets in the backseat of Blaine's DeSoto with the heat cranked up, shivering and smiling through their kisses.

The following Thursday, they stayed late at school in the choir room so Kurt could practice some solos - he really wanted to have a good audition when Mr. Schue started putting together the setlist for Regionals. Blaine sat on the piano with a pad of paper, frowning in concentration as Kurt practiced. Kurt felt a little shy about being watched so closely as he practiced, especially when he reached the romantic song from his selection and couldn't stop looking at Blaine. His cheeks burned when Blaine grinned at him. Blaine showed him the sketch he had done as they left. It was of Kurt singing with his eyes closed, his face peaceful and lips parted just a little. The drawing seemed so intimate, especially the way Blaine's hands brushed over Kurt's mouth to smudge the pencil a little.

At Christmas, Blaine and his parents went to L.A. to spend the holiday with his brother, but they skyped every night he was away and talked for hours. On Christmas Day, Kurt's dad gave him a package from Blaine that his boyfriend asked him to keep before he left for California. Kurt opened it in his room, with his present for Blaine beside him. He hugged the lush cashmere sweater from Blaine, grinning, and couldn't wait to wear it when he was with Blaine after the holiday. He just hoped Blaine liked his present.

(Blaine did. The old flask of his dad's that Kurt found in the attic, engraved with lyrics from that romantic song Kurt had been practicing that day in the choir room went over very well. Kurt couldn't afford expensive gifts but Blaine's enthusiastic, smacking kiss was worth a million dollars.)

Things were going so well, Kurt's worries about Blaine being satisfied with the pace of their physical relationship hardly even an issue any more. Kurt should have known that things couldn't last forever this way.

Everything started to crumble when school was back and Kurt sat with his friends during glee practice, chatting about their holidays.

"So how are things with Blaine?" Mercedes asked cautiously. She was slowly starting to come around to Kurt's boyfriend.

"They're wonderful," Kurt said happily. He petted a hand down the arm of his sweater, excited to see Blaine in second period.

"Really?" asked Tina, her eyes were sparkling. "So have you two gotten it on yet? I bet he's great in the sack."

"Tina!" Kurt blushed. "No," he whispered, his eyes darting around, "we have not...been intimate."

Rachel was frowning. "Kurt, I think you're missing out on an important aspect of romantic relationships."

Kurt stared at her. She was always on his side on this topic. "What are you saying? How would you know?"

Rachel beamed at them. "Finn and I did it on Christmas Eve." The three of them gasped. "It was very romantic and special. It was perfect. And Kurt, I think you should consider what the experience will mean for you as an artist and an almost-adult. You don't want to go to New York still a virgin, do you?"

Kurt blushed. "I...hadn't thought about it..."

"Wait!" Santana's voice cut through the air, a nasty laugh following. "Did I hear right? Hummel, your cherry is still unpopped? Oh my God. Blaine must have the bluest balls on campus."

"It's none of your business," Mercedes told her with an eye roll.

"It's just," Santana laughed again, sauntering over to them, "Kurt, you know you're screwed either way right? If you put out, Anderson will fuck and chuck. IF you don't, he's going to screw around behind your back." She pursed her lips, sneering at him. "I suggest you get a crash course in blow jobs and you might convince him to stick around a bit."

"Santana, stop," Kurt said fiercely, "Blaine isn't like that. And Mercedes is right; it's none of your business."

Santana shrugged. "Just trying to help. And if you honestly think Blaine Anderson is the kind of guy happy with a G-rated relationship of holding hands and homemade cookies, Hummel, you're a lot less smart than I thought."

Kurt glared at her as she walked away, hating that all his friends stayed silent, like they agreed with her but didn't want to say it. None of them knew Blaine like he did, and he knew Blaine was happy with what they had. Kurt was a romantic, not some party guy Santana hooked up with all the time, and Blaine didn't want someone like that, anyway.

Or at least, Kurt believed that until the night Blaine called him from Scandals.


	16. Chapter 16

It was Thursday night and Kurt was just leaving Tina's house where they had been hanging out, listening to music and planning designs for Regionals costumes.

His phone rang just as he slid into his car.

"Hi," he said when he answered, smiling just at the sight of Blaine's icon on his phone.

"Kurt!" Blaine practically shouted. "Kurt, hey, Kurt..."

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"Hey, I'm kind of...totally trashed," Blaine said, his words slurring and laughter on his voice.

"Are you okay?" Kurt said, gripping his phone tight. "Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Blaine said, "but...I wanna see you. Well, and could you come get me? I don't think I can drive."

"Yes, of course," Kurt said, his heart hammering, "where are you?" he asked again.

"Scandals. You know, the gay bar in West Lima? I'm sorry bout your night with your friend," Blaine said, sounding regretful, "I didn't plan on drinking this much, but fucking Sebastian made it his mission to have one in my hand at all times..."

Sebastian? Kurt started his car and pulled out of Tina's driveway.

"Who's Sebastian?" He said, his voice higher than he intended.

"This guy at Scandals," Blaine said, offhand. He hiccupped. "Did I ruin your night?"

"No, I was just leaving Tina's," Kurt told him. "Are you going to be sick or anything? Is there anyone who can help you?"

"I'll be fine, Kurt," Blaine said, giggling, "oh, here's Seb-"

There was some crackling and Kurt winced at the sound of unfamiliar laughter. A different voice came on the phone. "Who is this?"

"...Kurt."

"Oh," the voice, probably Sebastian, said, "well, your parents were pretty mean for giving you a boy's name, Kurt."

Kurt's cheeks burned. He heard Blaine say something garbled in the background.

"Well, Kurt," Sebastian said, snickering, "I'll take care of Blaine, so why don't you run home?"

"Put Blaine back on, please," Kurt said. He clenched his jaw when Sebastian just hung up instead and sped up.

When Kurt found his way to Scandals, he pulled up and found Blaine sitting on the curb outside next to a tall, lanky in a polo. Kurt noted with a glare that his collar was popped. His eyes bugged out when Blaine stumbled to his feet and Sebastian eyed his crotch openly.

Kurt parked the car and walked over to them.

"Kurt!" Blaine grinned at him and grabbed his waist, pulling him close and nuzzling into his neck.

"Hi," Kurt stuttered, looking over Blaine's shoulder at Sebastian, who was smirking at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's get outta here," said Blaine, swaying a little, "we can take my car if you're worried about me puking. Which I won't, by the way."

"We had to wait out here because you apparently don't have a fake ID," Sebastian said with a sneer, "no wonder Blaine came alone."

"Shut up," Blaine said, more focused on nosing Kurt's collar than anything else.

"Well, I got Blaine all riled up," Sebastian said with a cocky smile, "so I hope you're not too much of a prude to finish him off tonight, Kurt."

Kurt hated how his name sounded coming out of this jerk's mouth,

Blaine snorted. "You wish you could get me riled up!"

"One day I'll get a chance," said Sebastian, stepping closer.

"Let's go," Kurt said to Blaine quietly, blushing furiously, "why don't you go back inside and have a great night," he said to Sebastian with a fake smile.

"Hey, I never stay cockblocked for long." Sebastian gave him an obnoxious wink. "And Blaine'll be back."

Kurt ignored this as best as he could and walked with Blaine, who was half-hanging off him, over to Blaine's car.

"Hey, c'mere," Blaine breathed when they reached the car. He suddenly pulled Kurt so he was pressed against the side of the car. Blaine pressed in close to him, wrapping his arms low around his waist.

Kurt's heart thundered. "Blaine...you're drunk."

Blaine chuckled, his lips pressing against Kurt's neck. "I know." He pulled back, squinting at Kurt in confusion. Then he smiled. "I just wanna feel you." Kurt relaxed a little when Blaine just resumed leaning against Kurt and burying his face in the crook of his neck, taking deep breaths. "We should probably wait a little while before you drive," he mumbled sleepily, "just so I don't get motion sickness."

"Okay," Kurt said, opening the back door, "wh-why don't you lie down in the backseat?" Blaine complied, but then he tugged Kurt in with him, wrapping arms around him snugly.

"We should just sleep right here," Blaine said, his eyes closed.

Kurt laid on top of Blaine, his face red. He was straddling Blaine, so their hips were pressed right together. "How come you didn't ask me to go with you tonight?" He whispered.

Blaine's shoulders lifted and fell. "You had plans. And I didn't think you'd wanna go, what with all the illegal stuff involved."

"Would you like it if I did this? If I...partied?" Kurt said it so quietly, scared of the answer. "If I was more like Sebastian?"

But Blaine had dozed off. Kurt sighed and slid off of him, gently guiding him onto his side and shutting the door. He slid into the front seat and started the car, glancing toward the bar as he drove off. Sebastian was still outside, but now he was making out with another guy, rubbing against him furiously. Kurt concentrated on the road and tried to tell himself there was no truth to what Santana had said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blaine woke up with a pounding headache in a bed that wasn't his own. He squinted against the sunlight coming through the window and looked around.

"Fuck," he said, pressing his hand to his forehead, but then he noticed the aspirin and water beside the table and knocked them back quickly.

"Hi," Kurt said quietly as he shut the door after himself. He was wearing a blue satin robe with his initials sewn in the pocket over his pajamas and carrying two mugs of coffee. He padded barefoot over to the bed, hesitating.

Blaine smiled and took one of the coffee cups from him. He looked so cute with his hair messy and his cheeks rosy.

"Hi." Blaine took a sip of the coffee and pulled Kurt to sit down beside him. "I don't remember coming here last night."

Kurt blushed and looked down at his lap. "Well, I came and got you at Scandals and you fell asleep in the car, so I thought I should just bring you to my house, since it's closer."

"Thanks for coming to get me. Did I get too handsy for you?" Blaine chuckled at the scandalized little noise Kurt made in his throat.

"Well...you did grab my butt a couple times." Kurt was blushing furiously now. "And I discovered you like spooning a lot. But that's okay. I...I liked it."

"The spooning or the ass-grabbing?" Blaine teased him. He took a gulp of coffee as Kurt stammered and then put both of their cups down so he could pull Kurt to lay down beside him, sliding close behind him and wrapping an arm around his waist. His headache was all but forgotten as he concentrated on not getting too turned on, especially with the way Kurt nuzzled back against him and ran his fingertips over the skin on his arm.

He fell asleep like that and when he woke up, it was to Kurt's dad standing over them with one eyebrow raised.

"You two are just lucky your clothes are all on," he said, making Kurt yelp in embarrassment and Blaine duck his head to hide his grin. "Breakfast is ready, so come down before it gets cold." He fixed them with a stare. "In the future, remember this home isn't an after-party place to crash."

Blaine nodded. "Sorry for any trouble," he said.

"Sorry, Dad," Kurt said, half-glaring at his father anyway as Burt left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following Wednesday at school, Kurt sought Blaine out in their spot above the auditorium, and they spent most of the lunch hour making out.

"Baby," Blaine breathed, grinning against Kurt's throat when he felt him shiver, before he began to suck again, scraping his teeth lightly over the little bruise forming there.

"Y-you're lucky I wore a scarf today," Kurt whispered, his hands hugging Blaine's sides underneath his leather jacket.

"'m very lucky," said Blaine, kissing him again. Kurt parted his lips and Blaine coaxed his tongue into his mouth. They had shifted so Blaine was lying on top of Kurt. He was quickly growing hard, and by the soft moans Kurt was making, Blaine guessed his boyfriend wasn't far behind.

He pulled away, thinking it was probably a good time to cool off, and noted the confused expression on Kurt's face.

"Lunch is almost over," he told him, "I should probably take some time to...calm down before class."

Kurt's mouth made a silent "oh" and he blushed, shifting out from underneath Blaine and crossing his legs quickly.

"So, um," Kurt said, looking over at Blaine when Blaine took his hand and held it, "my - Rachel is having a party this weekend because her dads are on a cruise. Do you want to go? With me?"

Blaine kissed his temple, smiling against the side of his head an smelling the smell of vanilla lotion and hairspray. "Who else would I be going with?"

"Great!" Kurt beamed, fidgeting a little. "Okay, well, I'm going early to help Rachel with her pre-party preparations, so why don't I just give you her address and you can meet me there later?"

"Sounds good. Now," Blaine grinned mischievously, pulling Kurt on top of him, "we've got like five more minutes of make out time before the bell rings."

"Three," Kurt murmured against his lips.

"Your punctuality makes me so hot."


	17. Chapter 17

Blaine had no idea what to expect from a Rachel Berry house party, other than to guess that it would probably be pretty lame. Still, Kurt would be there, and that was pretty much all he needed for a good time.

He pulled up at her house at 11 pm after several texts from Kurt saying they weren't quite ready. He pulled his six pack from his passenger seat and climbed out of his car, walking up the steps and knocking on the door.

A very drunk Rachel in a very ugly green dress answered the door.

"Oh my God, you're here," she said, any lingering fear of him washed away with what smelled like sickly sweet wine coolers. She grasped his wrist and pulled him inside, trilling Kurt's name as she led Blaine downstairs.

Music was thumping. There was a disco ball rotating. About twenty people were present, and Blaine recognized most of them. They all appeared to be drunk or high or some combination of both. Blaine cracked a beer and peered around for Kurt. He didn't see him any where.

"Hey, where's Kurt?" He asked Rachel as she danced by him.

"Oh, I forgot," said Rachel, giggling, "he went upstairs to change because he spilled on his shirt.

Blaine rolled his eyes at her and shrugged her off when she started to cling to him and headed back upstairs, putting the rest of his beer in the fridge and taking a sip of his open can while he wandered around.

He found Kurt in what had to be Rachel's room, judging by the bright pink everything and gold stars everywhere, staring with intense concentration into her vanity mirror as his fingers fumbled with a scarf.

"Hey," Blaine said, leaning against the doorframe.

Kurt's eyes widened when he saw him and he spun around, knocking into the mirror and stumbling a little. "Blaine!"

"Woah," Blaine said, reaching out to steady Kurt when Kurt walked over to him and tripped forward. He chuckled at Kurt's silly smile. "You've been having a good time, haven't you?"

"Santana gave me stuff to drink," Kurt said. His words were slurred and his eyes unfocused. He slid an arm over Blaine's shoulders and took his beer with his free hand, quickly chugging half of it back. "'M thirsty."

"I see that," Blaine said, eyebrows raising as Kurt downed the rest of the beer, "what did Lopez give you?"

Kurt scrunched up his face adorably. "Dunno. It was yummy tho. Mmmm," he said, pressing his lips against Blaine's. "Yummy like you."

Blaine held him close and kissed Kurt gently, hands rubbing his back soothingly, but Kurt tugged him over to Rachel's bed and flopped down onto it, pulling Blaine to sit beside him.

"I can..." Kurt mumbled, and he kissed Blaine again, messy but insistent.

"You can what?" Blaine asked, amused. He let Kurt pull him down on top of him, looked down to see Kurt tugging his scarf off and his fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. He was having trouble with them, so Blaine popped the one right at his throat. Kurt exhaled.

Kurt wiggled around underneath him, and Blaine felt himself getting hard, especially when Kurt's fumbling hands pulled him down by his shirt to kiss him. He was lying on top of Kurt completely now, their hips pressed together. Kurt's squirming, fainter now, had his cock very interested. He groaned when Kurt shifted a little, looking down at his boyfriend's face. His mouth was kiss-bruised but open and slack, his face flush from kisses and whatever Santana had given him. His eyes were heavy-lidded, fluttering as his fingers struggled with the next button on his shirt.

"Just kiss me," Kurt mumbled.

Blaine did.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurt woke up with a pitiful groan. His whole body was sore, but especially his head, which pounded fiercely. He shifted under the covers, forcing his eyes open and wincing at all the bright pink and sunlight.

He sat up slowly, realizing he wasn't in his bed. And his clothes were gone. He was only wearing his underwear. His heart thumped loudly, making his headache worse.

He remembered coming to Rachel's, having wine coolers, waiting for Blaine to show up, asking Santana for something to drink...and then making out with Blaine in Rachel's room. He remembered falling down onto the bed with him, Blaine's lips on his, Blaine hovering on top of him, his own fingers unbuttoning his shirt.

Where was Blaine now?

He slid out of Rachel's bed, trying to be as quiet as possible for some reason. Maybe because making noise would make this too real.

He had wanted to prove to Blaine he could be a fun, party guy. He'd thought that maybe with just a few drinks, he wouldn't be so nervous, and he'd be able to fool around with Blaine like every teenager seemed to. But he couldn't even remember it, and now Blaine wasn't even here with him.

Numbly, he put on his clothes, which he found in a rumpled heap in the chair by Rachel's vanity, and then he padded out of her room silently, only to run into Santana and Brittany in the hall. Both of them had terrible bedhead, and Brittany seemed to have lost her shirt. Santana smirked at him.

"So, Hummel, did you finally loosen up and get laid? Oh, but where's your man? Don't tell me he dined and dashed?"

"Shut up Santana," Kurt muttered, pushing past them.

He didn't want to believe that Blaine would...do that with him, and then leave. Blaine was his boyfriend, after all. He wouldn't do that. But then where was he?

Kurt crossed his arms and rubbed his elbows as he made his way down the stairs. Maybe this was just the way things worked, and it didn't mean anything. Where was his phone? Maybe Blaine had texted him. But the more he thought about it, the sicker he felt to his stomach. He had wanted to be able to keep up with Blaine, show him that he was the kind of boyfriend who could party and get dirty, but that wasn't really him. He wasn't a bar superstar, he didn't like getting drunk (from his very limited experience), and he had always envisioned his first time in a field of flowers or a beautiful candle-lit room. He hated the thought that he couldn't even remember his night with Blaine.

Tears were stinging in his eyes as he got closer to the kitchen. He wiped at his eyes for good measure when he heard quiet murmurings coming from the kitchen and then hugged his torso again as he rounded the corner.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Blaine sitting at the table with Rachel.

Rachel looked like a complete mess. She was still wearing that hideous green thing from the night before, and Kurt noted with absent gladness that it had a large stain splotched on the front, so hopefully he could convince her to burn the whole thing. Her hair was a rat's nest and her make up was smudged. She looked like she was suffering almost as much as he was.

Blaine on the other hand looked as gorgeous as usual. There were no bags under his eyes, his hair was attractively tousled, and his smile was easy and happy when he saw Kurt.

Kurt felt more shy than ever when their eyes met. "Blaine," he breathed, hesitating in the doorway.

Rachel looked over at Kurt and gave him a weak smile, but Blaine got up and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. Kurt sagged against him, closing his eyes.

"How you doing, baby? Head hurt?"

"My everything hurts," Kurt said against Blaine's shoulder.

"Come have some aspirin and coffee," Rachel said pathetically.

"I'll make some breakfast, too," Blaine told them.

"Um," Kurt said, blushing, "actually, Blaine, could...could we talk? In private. Sorry, Rachel."

Rachel groaned and slumped against the kitchen table for a second but then dragged herself up and out of the room, pausing to pat Kurt on the shoulder.

Blaine took him by the hand and led him to the kitchen table, placing two advils in front of him and a glass of water. "I'll pour you some coffee. You'll feel better once you get some food in you. Trust me, I've done this many times."

Kurt blushed, his face hot as he dutifully swallowed down the pills. Even his throat was sore. He could feel his cheeks warming even more as he struggled to remember just what they had done last night.

He hated that he couldn't.

"I'm just glad you're here," he said shyly, looking up at Blaine with a tentative smile as Blaine brought him his coffee. True, he felt sort of sick, both from his hangover and from the fact that he couldn't remember his first time with Blaine - his first time period. And true, he wished...he actually wished he hadn't gone through with it. But Blaine was still here. He tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in his stomach and tell himself that was all that mattered.

"Where else would I be?" Blaine picked up his chair and set it right by Kurt's, pulling him close and rubbing his arm. "You're cold. Here," he said, pulling off his leather jacket and draping it over Kurt's shoulders. Kurt sighed and leaned against Blaine, breathing in his wonderful Blaine smell.

"I just...didn't know how things worked. You know, the...the morning after..."

Kurt felt Blaine stiffen and become very still. His hand stopped rubbing Kurt's back. Kurt bit his lip. "Blaine?"

"The morning after what?"

Kurt stared down at his lap. "After...you know..."

"Kurt."

"After...sex?" He whispered. He frowned. Saying it out loud made it more real. And he shouldn't feel so sad about it, should he?

He regretted saying it even more when Blaine pulled away from him.

"Wait...you think we had sex last night?"


	18. Chapter 18

Warning to readers for discussions of sexual assault!

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Blaine looked angry.

"What's wrong?" asked Kurt nervously. "You mean...we didn't...?" To be honest, he was relieved to hear it. But with the way Blaine was looking at him, he couldn't relax.

"Of course not," Blaine said, indignant, "Jesus, Kurt...who the fuck do you think I am?"

Kurt winced. "I..." His face was burning, and Blaine's cheeks were high with color too. Kurt looked down at the table, gripping it with his hands as tears stung his eyes. Of course Blaine wouldn't want to have sex with him. Who would want to sleep with some inexperienced child who stumbled around drunkenly? He had probably tasted and smelled gross last night, he probably kissed badly. He had planned out his outfit carefully before the party, but given how drunk he was, he probably had looked terrible, too. But he didn't understand why Blaine was so angry now.

"Let's go," Blaine said, getting up. Kurt looked up, trying to hold back his tears, but Blaine wasn't looking at him. He was glaring at Santana and Brittany as they entered the kitchen. Santana sneered back at Blaine and Brittany hid behind her.

"I'll drive you home," Blaine said, walking ahead of him, "you can get Finn to drive you back and get your car later." Kurt followed behind him, too embarrassed and sore from his hangover to protest.

They drove in silence. Blaine's hands were tight on the wheel and his jaw kept clenching and unclenching. Kurt stared out the window and tried not to cry. By the time they reached his house, he had failed miserably, and tears trickled down his face.

He heard Blaine kill the engine and let out a sigh. He sniffed.

"Are you crying?!"

Blaine's hand was on his shoulder, but Kurt shrugged him off. He stupidly wiped his hand across his face. "No." His voice was thick, he wouldn't fool Blaine for a second.

"I'm the one who should be crying," Blaine ground out.

"I'm sorry," Kurt choked, "I-I'm sorry I'm not...what you want."

"Kurt," Blaine said, and his voice was softer now, "what are you talking about?"

"I'm not like the guys you've been with," Kurt said. He held his breath and turned to look at Blaine, his eyes still glimmering with tears. Blaine was staring at him with a frown, his eyes widening. "I tried to be, and I made a mess of it. N-no wonder you didn't want to sleep with me. But I don't understand why you're so angry with me. I-I tried..."

His head hurt. His heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest. He closed his eyes and more tears fell.

"Kurt, I...I don't even know where to begin." Blaine let out another long breath, and then he was pulling Kurt over to him. Kurt let out a gasp of surprise. But Blaine wrapped his arms around him, and Kurt leaned into him. He was still wearing Blaine's jacket.

"You don't have to try anything," Blaine said, "because you're exactly what I want. Okay? I know I'm no pure angel, but I didn't think that meant you would think I'm some douchebag who wants to fuck at the nearest possible time."

Kurt blushed. "That isn't what I..."

Blaine pulled back. "I was pissed off because..." He looked down, clenching his jaw again. "I can't believe you think I'd do something like that. Kurt, you were black out drunk. I'm not some fucking rapist."

"What?!" All the blood drained from Kurt's face. "What? No, no I didn't mean that! Blaine, I...I threw myself at you. I planned it all, I invited you to the party and got drunk because I...I was too nervous to try anything sober. I just thought it was what you wanted. I came on to you, so-"

"You think I want our first time to be like that? You-you think I could do something like that to you?"

Blaine looked absolutely miserable. "No!" Kurt held his face between his hands. "I didn't think of it like that at all, Blaine. I screwed everything up. I don't think of you like any of those things, I promise, okay? I...you are sweet, and good...you're so good to me, you make me so happy. I just-just wanted to do something to make you happy, too."

Blaine looked at Kurt again, his expression softening. "You make me happy. Being with you makes me happy."

Kurt gave him a hesitant smile, which grew when Blaine reached up to wipe his tears away. They leaned in together, pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss.

"We have some things we need to talk about," Blaine said, leaning his forehead to Kurt's.

Kurt nodded slightly, sighing. Somehow, he'd gotten everything so confused, and made some big mistakes. The idea of talking about what had happened and talking about sex made his belly twist nervously and his face heat up, but knowing that Blaine wanted to work it out, that he cared about Kurt more than about...other things, made him feel safer. It made him feel loved.


	19. Chapter 19

Warning to readers for descriptions of sexual assault!

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They decided to wait until Kurt was feeling a little better before continuing their conversation. Kurt was grateful, what with the way his stomach kept rolling and his head pounded.

"Don't turn your nose up," Blaine said, amused, when he put a plate of bacon and fried potatoes in front of Kurt, "I know you don't like grease, but it'll make you feel better."

They ate without talking much, but Kurt felt more at ease when Blaine sat close to him and pulled his legs up onto his lap. The food did help, but he was so tired, that he pulled Blaine up to his room and they curled up together. Luckily, his dad was at the shop for the day. Kurt shivered and burrowed close to Blaine, tucking his head under his chin. Blaine held him close and tangled their legs together, and soon he was drifting off to sleep.

When he woke up, he was resting on Blaine's chest, and Blaine was sitting up a little, awake and reading a book. He turned to look at Kurt and smiled down at him gently.

"I think we need to have that talk now."

Kurt swallowed nervously but nodded and sat up.

"Hey," said Blaine, squeezing his hand to comfort him, "we're okay, right? I know we've got some stuff to sort out, but there's nothing to worry about."

Kurt didn't know that that was totally true, but he smiled at Blaine anyway. "Okay. Well..." He frowned. He didn't really know what to say.

"How much did you have to drink last night?" Blaine said.

Kurt blushed. "I'm not sure...I kind of lost track."

"Hey, no judgement," Blaine grinned, "remember when you picked me up from Scandals?"

"Yeah," Kurt muttered, looking down and away.

"What is it?"

"Are you...are you friends with that Sebastian guy?"

Blaine frowned in confusion, but then his eyes widened. "Is that what this is about? That asshole from the bar? Kurt, he's just this annoying loser who spends all his time there trying to get laid. He's hit on me every time I've gone there."

"That's not very reassuring," Kurt said, blushing.

"I just mean...if you think Sebastian is what I want you to be like, you're completely wrong. Was he the reason you got trashed last night?"

"He's part of it." Kurt sighed, making himself meet Blaine's eyes. "The truth is, I know I'm not a normal teenage boy. We've been boyfriends for a while now, and I know it's weird that we haven't...that I haven't done anything besides kiss you."

Blaine opened his mouth to speak, but Kurt held up a hand. "Let me finish, okay? Because otherwise I won't get it all out."

"Okay."

Kurt took a deep breath. "The-the truth is, I kept telling myself things were fine. That...even though you have more, um, experience, that there was no need to rush and it would just happen when it happened. But I wanted to...to keep up with you. It feels like I'm letting you down, disappointing you." Kurt's face felt like it was on fire. Blaine was watching him with soft, warm eyes, but his mouth pulled down sympathetically. "And then Santana-" Blaine's face hardened and he looked like he was going to say something, but he stayed silent. "She just...said something that made all those worries so much worse. She always knows what to say to bother me."

"Fucking Lopez," Blaine growled, "I'm going to have to have a conversation with her."

"It won't do any good," Kurt said, shaking his head, "and besides, she doesn't know..."

"Doesn't know what?"

Kurt paused and his hands shook. "She doesn't know about this boy that went to school with us last year. He was on the football team, and he hated the glee club. He bullied us all all the time. But last year...things got worse for me." He wasn't blushing any more. He felt cold. Blaine's warm hands held his shaking ones.

"Kurt..."

"He...um...basically, he was in the closet. And he hated me most because...I guess I just bothered him, being the only out gay kid in school. And well, one day we-we were alone in the locker room, and he kissed me."

Blaine's hands gripped his tightly. "It was my first kiss," Kurt whispered, "the first one that counted, one from a boy. And it was horrible. I was so scared."

"God, Kurt, I didn't...I didn't know..."

"Things got worse. I didn't tell anybody, because I was scared about what he might do, but I also didn't want to out him. He...he would follow me around. He threatened to kill me if I told." Blaine looked murderous now. "I-I tried to avoid him, but..." Kurt squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the feelings of panic. "But it was like a monster stalking me through the school. And he was popular, so he got all his jock buddies to harass me even more. It went on for months like that." Kurt could feel tears falling down his cheeks now. "And then one night, I left home late after glee practice, and he was waiting for me. He-he pinned me up against my car and kissed me again, and he was...h-hard, and pressing against me, touching me." Blaine swore quietly. "I was just lucky that Quinn was leaving at the same time and she saw us and honked her horn. He left me there and ran away, and Quinn took care of me. Eventually his best friend outed him, but he blamed me, said I came onto him and made him gay...he transferred schools at the end of last year."

Kurt wiped at his eyes, still shaking a little at the horrible memories.

"Fuck," Blaine said, "I'm so sorry, Kurt." He pulled Kurt into his arms and cradled him gently, soothing hands running up and down his back. "I feel like an asshole...all this time...if I had known, I would've done things different, I would've been more careful with you-"

"No," Kurt said, pulling back, "no, don't say that. You've been so wonderful. You never made me feel pressured or uncomfortable. You make me feel so safe and...connected...and..." He shrugged. "I guess I'm just scared of not being what you want. Of-of never being ready, or being some sort of freak who can't act like a normal teenage boy." His face was heating up again, but Blaine leaned forward and kissed him slowly, one hand threading into his hair, and the other one pulling him forward so he was sitting in Blaine's lap. Kurt kissed back insistently, winding his arms around Blaine's neck. It felt so good that Blaine would want him just as much even after he told him all that.

"I never want you to feel like you need to do something you're not comfortable with. If you're not comfortable, I won't be either," Blaine said once they stopped. "I don't want you to feel like you need to get drunk or push yourself past your limits because of some stupid fucking social expectation or Santana Lopez's big mouth. This is about you and me, okay? We're the only ones who matter. And I am happy to wait as long as you need me to."

They kissed again.

"And besides," Blaine murmured against Kurt's lips, "there's always masturbation."

Kurt let out an undignified squeak and turned bright red, and Blaine just laughed and kissed him again.


	20. Chapter 20

"I can only remember parts of last night, Kurt," Rachel said over tbe phone. She still sounded really hungover. "All I know is Finn decided to go home after we fought, so I went up to my room and found Blaine with you on my bed, so I kind of freaked out and kicked him out."

"Okay," said Kurt slowly, "while I appreciate you looking out for me even though Blaine wasn't trying to do anything underhanded-"

"Don't you mean under the belt?" giggled Rachel weakly.

Kurt blushed and glanced at Blaine, who was sitting with Kurt's feet in his lap and painting his nails. Black, of course.

"Rachel, focus. That still doesn't explain why I woke up with just my underwear on."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up and he gave Kurt a look that was a mix of concern and interest.

"Oh, well. Your clothes are just so tight, especially your pants. And your shirt was half undone anyway. I just wanted you to be comfortable." Rachel's voice had that wheedling tone, the one that said she knew she had made a mistake.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Rach. But next time you can leave me clothed the next morning. Except hopefully there wont be a next time quite like that."

"Agreed," Rachel groaned pitifully.

They said their goodbyes and Kurt hung up with a sigh. Blaine got up and walked behind him, hugging him from behind and pressing their cheeks together. Kurt closed his eyes and leaned back against his shoulder.

"Poor baby," said Blaine, "I guess it's a good thing your parents are out for the day."

Kurt gave a small chuckle but then frowned. "Speaking of parents," he said. He turned his head to look at Blaine. "Do you think I coukd meet yours sometime? I mean, I know my drunken embarassment last night doesnt't recommend me very highly." He looked down at his lap. "Is there a reason...do you not want them to meet me?"

"Hey, don't think that for a second," said Blaine, coming back around to sit by Kurt. "You're like, the exact sort of guy anyone would want to bring home to meet the parents. It's just that...my parents aren't like your dad and Carole. They're not like, assholes, or anything, but they're not very attentive, or whatever. I used to be their pride and joy, but stuff happenes, I changed, and they..." Blaine frowned. "They're more like room mates than parents. They're not really all that involved in my life."

Kurt put his hand over Blaine's, careful not to smudge his nail polish. "Are they uncomfortable with your sexuality?"

"Nah. I mean, they're not ready to march in a pride parade. Or invested enough in me to, either. And my dad did try to turn me straight when I came out, but he's mellowed." Blaine looked at Kurt's expression. "Hey, it's okay. I'm used to it. I guess I was just putting off introducing them to you because your family is so happy and loving, and mine is just another example of why I wonder how come you haven't woken up yet and asked yourself what you're doing with me."

Kurt shook his head. "You are crazy, you know that? You're one of the best people I know. You may have a scary exterior, but that's just disguising the peraon underneath. Like how sometimes I feel like putting on designer clothes is my way of putting on armor to get through the day." He leaned forward and kissed Blaine slowly. Blaine's hand came up to cup his cheek, and the other wrapped arounde his waist. Kurt's hands buried in Blaine's soft, loose curls and their kiss deepened, until they both pulled away, breathing heavily.

"But you do find the leather a little bit sexy, right?" whispered Blaine with a grin as he held Kurt's face.

"A little bit," Kurt breathed back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blaine did agree to set up a meeting, since it was important to Kurt. But that was a week away, and he'd have to contend with constant shit-disturber Santana Lopez before he and his boyfriend could play Guess Who's Coming To Dinner.

It was on Wednesday when the confrontation finally happened. Blaine bad been caught between wanting to give Santana a piece of his mind and not wanting to stress Kurt out, but the choice was taken out of his hands when Quinn and Santana interrupted yet anotherd make out session with Kurt under the bleachers. Blaine had just smoothed his hands down Kurt's back and settled them on his hipsi, smiling when his boyfriend pressed closer on top of him, when Lopez's sbeering voice broke through the quiets sighs and moans they were making.

"So Anderson, glad Pale and Prudish gave it up at last?"

Kurt pulled away from Blaine's lips and sat up.

"Quinn, can you stop bringing annoying cheerleader assholes here? Nothing's more of a turn off than Santana Lopez." Blaine ground out.

Santana just smirked and crossed her arms. "Just because you don't dig ladies, it doesnt mean you can speak for everyone who does, Elton John."

"Yeah," Blaine spat back nastily, "I guess you'd be a better representative. Now get the fuck out of my sight."

Quinn and Kurt turned to look at Santana with wide eyes. She was practically snarling, but she was also flushed red. Blaine knew it was a dick move, but his filter was not working. He was sick of this girl upsetting his boyfriend and causing problems.

"Get up, Anderson," Santana snapped, dropping her backpack on the ground. "Because you want to be standing when I take you on a little trip to Lima Heights Adjacent."

"Stop it both of you," Kurt said, but Blaine got up.

"You wanna go, princess?" His blood was pumping hot, but he held his arms casually at hjs sides as he circled around Lopez, whose hands were curled into fists.

"I'm gonna kick your ass," said Santana, glaring.

"No, what's gonna happen is I'm not gonna lay a finger on you, and you're going to make a fool of yourself anyway. Be glad you have a small audience." Blaine gave her a smug smile and stood with his hands behind his back.

He easily dodged her first lunge at him, and the scond. He brought a forearm up to block her punch and then pivoted so that she fell forward, stumbling with an angry grunt. Despite all her bravado, she clearly had no idea what she was doing, and Quinn looked like she regretted telling Blaine about the time last year that Santana picked a fight witb Lauren Zizes and got her ass handed to her.

This went on for a while, until Santana, sweating and enraged, flew at Blaine with a ferocity he wasn't expecting and landed one decent punch against his cheek with an outraged yell. It stung, but he simply moved to block the next swing.

Except he didn't need to, because suddenly Kurt was between them and he shoved Santana away and into the chainlink fence. She stared at him with the same shock Blaine was feeling. Kurt looked angry - and hot - as hell.

"My boyfriend may be too much of a gentleman to hit back, and maybe I am normally too, but you've gone too far, Santana," said Kurt, his voice high, "you hit Blaine, and you have to deal with me. Now get the hell over whatever is causing you to be so awful to everyone and stop pushing your issues on us. Blaine and I are gay, okay. We don't care that you are, and neither does Quinn. So stop punishing us when you'd obviously rather be punishing yourself. I'm sick of people with internalized homophobia treating me like a punching bag in their twisted therapy, and I'm definitiely not going to let you do that to Blaine."

There was a stunned moment of silence except for Kurt and Santana's heavy breathing. Kurt's eyes were bright and his cheeks were high with color and Blaine was maybe a little bit turned on.

Quinn led a quiet Santana away and Blaine took Kurt's hand, leading him towards the theater. He decided right then and there that he'd properly clean up the space above the stage so it could be their main make/hang out space.

But after that speech, he hoped Kurt would be up for breaking it in a little right now.


End file.
